Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): No inverno, uso sempre um sobretudo grosso para caminhar na cidade. - In winter I always wear a thick overcoat to walk in the city.

In Portuguese, seasons normally take the definite article: o inverno = “the winter.” To say “in winter,” you contract em + o = no. Saying only inverno without an article is unnatural, and em inverno (without the article) isn’t standard.

What does sobretudo mean here?

Sobretudo is a masculine noun meaning “overcoat” or “topcoat”—a heavy, long coat you wear in cold weather. It’s not related to “especially” (that’s sobretudo in Spanish), but specifically a garment.

Why is there an um before sobretudo grosso? Could I omit it?

Portuguese normally uses an indefinite article (um/uma) before countable singular nouns, like English “a” or “an.” Here, um sobretudo = “an overcoat.” Omitting um (uso sempre sobretudo grosso) sounds odd or incomplete. You could instead say uso sempre o sobretudo grosso to refer to a specific coat.

Why does grosso come after sobretudo? Could I say grosso sobretudo?

Adjectives in Portuguese generally follow the noun they modify: sobretudo grosso = “thick overcoat.” Placing grosso before the noun (grosso sobretudo) is grammatically possible but uncommon—doing so gives a poetic or emphatic feel.

Where should the adverb sempre go in a sentence like this?

Sempre (“always”) usually follows the verb or sits between an auxiliary and the main verb. Here, uso sempre = “I always wear.” You could start with sempre uso, but that emphasizes “always.” Placing it after the verb is the neutral option.

Why is para caminhar used to mean “to walk”? Are there other ways to express purpose?

Para + infinitive expresses purpose: “in order to” or simply “to” walk. So para caminhar = “to walk.” Another possible structure is a caminhar, which in European Portuguese often indicates an ongoing action (“while walking”), but it’s less clear for expressing purpose.

Why is it na cidade and not em cidade or na a cidade?

Cidade is feminine, so em + a contracts to na. Na cidade means “in the city.” You can’t say em cidade (missing the article) or na a cidade (double article); the correct contraction is na.

What’s the difference between caminhar and andar?

Both can mean “to walk,” but caminhar is more formal and specific to walking. Andar is more general: it can mean “to walk,” “to ride” (a bike or horse), or “to function” (a car). In this sentence, caminhar emphasizes the act of going on foot.

In English we say “I wear,” but here it’s uso. Is that normal?

Yes. In Portuguese, usar covers both “to use” and “to wear.” So uso um sobretudo translates naturally as “I wear an overcoat.” If you want, you could also use visto um sobretudo (from vestir) to highlight putting it on, but usar is the common verb for clothes.