Eu vejo um barco de pesca no porto.

I see a fishing boat at the port.

Breakdown of Eu vejo um barco de pesca no porto.

• eu: I
• um: a
• em: in
• ver: to see
• o barco de pesca: the fishing boat
• o porto: the port

Questions & Answers about Eu vejo um barco de pesca no porto.

Why is the subject pronoun eu included in the sentence? I thought Portuguese often drops subject pronouns.

In European Portuguese, verb endings usually make the subject clear, so you can omit eu (“Vejo um barco…”). However, including eu adds emphasis or clarity, especially in speech or writing. It’s perfectly correct but not strictly necessary.

What does vejo mean, and how is it formed?

Vejo is the first-person singular present tense of the verb ver (“to see”). Literally, vejo = “I see.” The full conjugation in the present is:
eu vejo
tu vês
ele/ela vê
nós vemos
vós vedes
eles/elas veem

Why is there a de in barco de pesca? How would you translate that phrase?

The preposition de links two nouns to show purpose or type. Barco de pesca literally means “boat of fishing,” which in English we render as “fishing boat.” It’s the equivalent of an English compound noun.

Why is it no porto instead of na porto or em o porto?

1. Porto is a masculine noun, so the definite article is o (not a).
2. No is the contraction of em
   • o:
     em + o → no
     You could write em o porto, but native speakers always contract it to no porto.

Why is the indefinite article um used before barco? Could it be o or uma?

• Um is the masculine singular indefinite article (“a” or “an” in English).
• O barco would be “the boat,” pointing to a specific vessel already known to the listener.
• Uma barco would be ungrammatical because barco is masculine, so its matching indefinite article must also be masculine: um.

Could we say um barco de pescas with pescas in the plural?

No. Here pesca refers to the activity or trade of fishing (a collective noun), not to individual fish. As such, it stays singular. Barco de pescas would sound odd; the correct form is barco de pesca.

What’s the difference between vejo and estou a ver (or estou vendo)?

• Vejo is the simple present (“I see”), used for general facts or immediate perception.
• In European Portuguese, the progressive is formed with estar a
  • infinitive: estou a ver (“I am seeing/ watching right now”).
• Estou vendo is the Brazilian Portuguese style (estar + gerund). In Portugal you’d more naturally say estou a ver if you want to stress the ongoing action.

How do you pronounce porto, barco, and pesca in European Portuguese?

– Porto: [ˈpɔɾ.tu] – the “r” is a tapped (alveolar) or sometimes uvular sound, short “o” in the first syllable.
– Barco: [ˈbaɾ.ku] – similar “r” sound, open “a.”
– Pesca: [ˈpɛʃ.kɐ] – “s” between vowels becomes [ʃ], and the final “a” is a reduced [ɐ].