Eu busco pão no mercado.

I fetch bread at the market.

Breakdown of Eu busco pão no mercado.

• eu: I
• o pão: the bread
• em: at
• o mercado: the market
• buscar: to fetch

Questions & Answers about Eu busco pão no mercado.

What does busco mean, and what tense is it?

busco is the first‐person singular (eu) form of the verb buscar, in the present indicative. It literally means “I look for,” “I fetch” or “I pick up.”

Why is pão not preceded by an article here?

Here pão is used in an indefinite or generic sense—just “bread” in general, not a specific loaf. When you talk about bread as a non‐count substance, Portuguese often drops the article, just like English.

Why do we say no mercado instead of ao mercado?

• no is the contraction of em + o and indicates location (“in the market”).
• ao comes from a + o and is used with verbs of motion toward (“to the market”), e.g. vou ao mercado (“I’m going to the market”).

In Eu busco pão no mercado, you’re describing where you look/fetch (location), not the act of going there.

Could I say vou buscar pão ao mercado instead?

Yes. Vou buscar pão ao mercado uses the near‐future construction ir + infinitive. It literally means “I’m going to fetch bread at the market.” Notice that with ir as the main verb, you use ao mercado (direction).

What’s the difference between buscar and procurar?

Both can mean “to look for,” but:

• procurar emphasizes the search process (“I’m searching for my keys”).
• buscar often implies fetching or retrieving something you know (“I’m fetching the kids,” “I’m getting bread”). Contexts overlap, though.

Is buscar a regular verb, and how do you conjugate it?

Yes—buscar follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern. Present indicative for the subject pronouns is:
eu busco,
tu buscas,
ele/ela busca,
nós buscamos,
vós buscais,
eles/elas buscam.

Can I drop the subject pronoun eu and just say Busco pão no mercado?

Absolutely. Portuguese is a pro‐drop language, so the subject pronoun is optional when the verb ending already tells you who’s doing the action.

What’s the difference between mercado and supermercado?

• mercado in Portugal often refers to an open‐air market or a covered municipal market with stalls.
• supermercado means a modern supermarket (self‐service, aisles, shopping carts).
  In everyday speech you’ll choose based on the type of place you’re talking about.