Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu separo a roupa limpa da suja na gaveta. - I separate the clean clothes from the dirty ones in the drawer.

Separo is the first‐person singular in the present indicative of the verb separar. It means “I separate” or “I am separating”, usually expressing a habitual or general action rather than a one‐time event.

Why is the adjective limpa placed after roupa, not before?

In European Portuguese, descriptive adjectives most often follow the noun:

a casa branca – “the white house”
a roupa limpa – “the clean clothes”
Putting an adjective before the noun (e.g. a branca casa) is possible for stylistic or emphatic reasons but is less common in everyday speech.

What is the function of da in da suja?

Da is a contraction of de + a. After separar, we use de to indicate what you’re separating from:

separar A de B
Thus da suja = de a suja = “from the dirty one.” Here, suja stands for roupa suja (“dirty clothes”).

Can I omit Eu at the beginning? Why is the subject included?

Yes. Portuguese is a pro-drop (null-subject) language. You can say:

Separo a roupa limpa da suja na gaveta.
The verb ending -o already tells you it’s first‐person singular. Including Eu adds clarity or emphasis, but it’s grammatically optional.

What does na mean in na gaveta?

Na is the contraction of em + a, meaning “in the” (feminine singular). You use em to indicate location:

em a gaveta → na gaveta (“in the drawer”).

Why is it separar A de B instead of “separar entre A e B”?

To split or sort things, Portuguese uses separar X de Y (“separate X from Y”).

separar A de B
You don’t say separar entre…, because entre means “between” in a spatial or metaphorical sense, not in the sense of dividing or sorting.

Could I say Eu separo a roupa limpa da suja no armário instead?

Yes, grammatically it’s correct. The only difference is location:

gaveta (drawer) is typical for socks, underwear.
armário (wardrobe/closet) is typical for hanging shirts, coats, etc.
Choose the noun that matches where you actually store the clothes.

Why do limpa and suja end in -a?

Roupa is a feminine noun. Adjectives in Portuguese must agree in gender (and number) with the noun they modify:

roupa limpa (feminine singular + feminine singular)
If you talked about os casacos (masculine plural), you’d say casacos limpos.

How do I pronounce suja with that initial s?

In European Portuguese:

s before a vowel at the beginning of a word is pronounced [s].
j is pronounced [ʒ] (like the “s” in English “vision”).
final a is an unstressed [ɐ] (almost a schwa).
So suja sounds like [ˈsu.ʒɐ].