Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Perdi uma luva enquanto corria no parque. - I lost a glove while running in the park.

Perdi is the first-person singular of the simple past (preterite) tense of perder. It expresses a completed action in the past, equivalent to “I lost.”

Why is the subject pronoun eu omitted in Perdi uma luva?

Portuguese is a pro-drop language: verb endings indicate the subject. The “-i” in perdi already shows that the subject is “I.” Adding eu is optional and used only for emphasis or clarity.

Why is uma luva used instead of a luva or minha luva?

Uma is the feminine singular indefinite article, meaning “one glove” or “a glove,” without specifying which. A luva would refer to a particular glove already known to listener and speaker. Minha luva would stress possession (“my glove”).

What does enquanto mean here, and how is it different from quando?

Enquanto means “while” and emphasizes that two actions happened simultaneously. Quando means “when” and simply introduces a past moment without highlighting the ongoing overlap.

Why is corria used instead of a past continuous like estava correndo?

Corria is the imperfect tense, indicating an ongoing past action (“I was running”). European Portuguese commonly uses the imperfect for background or continuous past actions. Estava correndo is the Brazilian gerund construction, less typical in Portugal.

Could you use estava a correr here instead of corria?

Yes. In European Portuguese you can say Estava a correr no parque, perdi uma luva. That periphrastic form uses estar a + infinitive and also describes an ongoing past action.

Why is it no parque and not just em parque?

Portuguese normally requires definite articles before locations. Parque is masculine singular, so em + o Parque contracts to no parque. Saying em parque sounds unnatural.

Could you say num parque instead of no parque? What changes?

Num is em + um, meaning “in a park” (indefinite). No parque means “in the park” (specific). Use num parque if you want to say you were running in some park, not one already identified.

What about using ao correr instead of enquanto corria?

You can say Ao correr no parque, perdi uma luva. Ao is a + o and turns the action into an adverbial clause meaning “when/while running.” This structure is common in formal or written Portuguese.

Why isn't there a reflexive pronoun, as in perdi-me?

Perdi-me means “I got lost” (literally “I lost myself”). To lose an object, perder is transitive, so you simply say perdi + the object. You don’t use a reflexive pronoun for that meaning.