Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Segundo a manchete, a conferência promete inovar a gastronomia regional. - According to the headline, the conference promises to innovate regional gastronomy.

Here Segundo is a preposition meaning “according to”. It does not mean the ordinal “second” in this context. To say “the second,” Portuguese uses o segundo (masculine) or a segunda (feminine) with an article.

Why is there an a before manchete? Can we say Segundo manchete?

Portuguese normally requires the definite article before singular common nouns. Manchete is feminine, so you need a: Segundo a manchete = “According to the headline.” Omitting a (i.e. Segundo manchete) sounds ungrammatical.

What kind of word is manchete, and what does it mean?

Manchete is a feminine noun meaning “headline”, i.e. the main title on the front page of a newspaper or at the top of an article.

Why does the sentence use promete inovar instead of promete que vai inovar?

Portuguese allows the verb prometer to link directly to an infinitive:

prometer inovar = “to promise to innovate.”
You don’t need que or vai. Saying promete que vai inovar is grammatically correct but more wordy and less idiomatic in journalistic style.

Could we use the future tense prometerá inovar instead of promete inovar?

Yes, but with a stylistic difference.

promete inovar (present) is common in headlines and reports to convey immediacy.
prometerá inovar (future) sounds more formal or literary. Journalistic Portuguese often opts for the present.

Why is regional placed after gastronomia, and not before?

Most descriptive adjectives in Portuguese follow the noun.

gastronomia regional = “regional cuisine.”
If you said regional gastronomia, it would be poetic or emphatic, not the neutral order used in news.

Could we say inovar em gastronomia regional instead of inovar a gastronomia regional?

Both are possible but slightly different:

inovar a gastronomia regional treats gastronomia regional as a direct object (“to innovate regional cuisine”).
inovar em gastronomia regional uses a preposition (“to innovate within regional cuisine”).
The first is more direct and idiomatic in this context.

Why is there a definite article before gastronomia regional? Can we drop a?

Using a gastronomia regional refers to the specific concept of regional cuisine. Dropping a (inovar gastronomia regional) is less common and sounds abrupt. The article marks the object as a defined field.

Is conferência in Portuguese the same as “conference” in English?

Yes. In European Portuguese, conferência means a formal meeting, academic congress or lecture—just like English conference. (Note: in Brazilian colloquial speech, it can also mean “phone call,” but that sense is rare in Portugal.)