Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O chefe pediu uma pesquisa sobre os aromas usados na época medieval. - The boss asked for research on the aromas used in the medieval period.

In European Portuguese, chefe means the person in charge – “boss,” “manager,” or “head” of a department. It’s the standard word for your supervisor. It can also mean “head chef” in a culinary context, but here it clearly refers to the work supervisor.

Why is pediu used here? How does the verb pedir work with a direct object?

Pedir means “to ask for” or “to request.” When you say pediu uma pesquisa, it literally means “he requested a research study.” The structure is pedir + direct object (something). If you want to ask someone to do something, you’d say pedir a alguém para + infinitive or pedir a alguém que + subjunctive.

What is the difference between pesquisa and investigação? Are they interchangeable?

Both translate as “research.”

Pesquisa is more general and common (academic, market surveys, etc.).
Investigação often implies a more formal or scientific probe (police investigations, scientific studies).
They overlap, but pesquisa is lighter and more frequently used in everyday contexts.

If pesquisa is “research” (uncountable in English), why is there an indefinite article uma?

In Portuguese, pesquisa is a countable noun: you can say uma pesquisa, duas pesquisas. Even though English treats “research” as uncountable, Portuguese uses articles to specify individual research projects.

What does sobre mean here? Can I use de instead?

Here sobre means “about” or “on” a topic: pesquisa sobre = “research on/about.” You could replace it with synonyms like acerca de or a respeito de, but de alone wouldn’t work in this structure.

Why is there a definite article os before aromas? In English we might drop the article.

Portuguese commonly uses the definite article for general or generic statements. os aromas usados means “the scents used” as a general category. In English we’d say “aromas used in medieval times,” dropping the article, but in Portuguese it stays.

Why usados? What’s happening with this past participle?

Usados is the past participle of usar, functioning here as an adjective. It agrees in gender (masculine) and number (plural) with aromas. In Portuguese, participles used as adjectives must match their nouns.

What does época medieval mean exactly? Could I say período medieval instead?

Both mean “the medieval period.”

Época medieval emphasizes “era” or “time.”
Período medieval is slightly more formal.
They’re interchangeable. You could also say Idade Média (“the Middle Ages”) in historical contexts.

Why is na época medieval used, not durante a época medieval?

Na is a contraction of em + a, so na época medieval means “in the medieval period.” Durante a época medieval (“during the medieval period”) is also correct but a bit more wordy. Na época is more idiomatic.

Can I say “O chefe solicitou uma pesquisa medieval sobre os aromas usados”?

No, because pesquisa medieval would imply “research that is medieval” (i.e. research from medieval times). You want to say “research about the scents used in medieval times,” so you need pesquisa sobre os aromas usados na época medieval.