Log inSign up

Eu preciso de outra garrafa de água.

Eu preciso de outra garrafa de água.
I need another bottle of water.
FromLesson 23inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Eu preciso de outra garrafa de água.

eu
I
a água
the water
de
of
precisar de
to need
a garrafa
the bottle
outra
another

Questions & Answers about Eu preciso de outra garrafa de água.

Why does the verb precisar need a de? Why not just “preciso outra garrafa”?
In Portuguese precisar is not directly transitive. When you say precisar meaning “to need,” you must introduce the thing you need with the preposition de. So you always say preciso de algo. Omitting de (as in “preciso outra”) is ungrammatical.
There are two des in the sentence. Do they mean the same thing?

No, they serve different functions: 1) preciso de outra → de introduces the object of precisar (“I need [of] another…”).
2) garrafa de água → de marks a partitive/genitive relationship (“a bottle of water”).
They look identical, but one links verb to object, the other links noun to noun.

Why isn’t there an article before água? And why can’t we contract to d’água?
You use an article when you speak of a specific, known water: da água (= de + a). Here you want “another bottle of water” in general, not “another bottle of the water.” So you omit the article: garrafa de água. Without an article there’s nothing to contract, so d’água is not possible.
Why is outra placed before garrafa? I thought adjectives often follow the noun.
Outra is not a descriptive adjective but a determiner (like “another/other”). Determiners—such as outra, esta, toda, alguma—always precede the noun. True descriptive adjectives (e.g. verde, grande) normally follow.
Why outra and not outro garrafa?
Portuguese adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. Garrafa is feminine singular, so you use outra (fem. sing.), not outro (masc.).
Can I drop the subject pronoun eu and just say Preciso de outra garrafa de água?
Yes. Portuguese is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -o in preciso already tells you the subject is “I.” You include eu only for emphasis or clarity.
Could I also say Preciso de mais uma garrafa de água? Is that the same?
Yes, mais uma (“one more”) and outra (“another”) are often interchangeable here. Subtle nuance: mais uma emphasizes the quantity (“one more bottle”), while outra simply flags “an additional/other bottle.”
What’s the difference between preciso de outra garrafa de água and preciso de mais água?
  • otra garrafa de água → you want an entire new bottle.
  • mais água → you want more water, possibly to refill the same container.

Choose garrafa if you need a new bottle; choose mais água to ask for extra liquid.

Why not use ter de or ter que instead of precisar de to express need?

Both ter de/ter que + infinitive and precisar de + noun express necessity, but with different structures:

  • Preciso de uma garrafa nova. → precisar de
    • noun
  • Tenho de comprar uma garrafa nova. → ter de
    • infinitive (more “I have to buy…”)
      Here, since we’re requesting a noun directly, precisar de is the natural choice.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Portuguese grammar?”
Portuguese grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Portuguese

Master Portuguese — from Eu preciso de outra garrafa de água to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Portuguese freeBrowse the full course