Breakdown of Eu vou pregar o quadro na parede com cuidado.
eu
I
ir
to go
em
on
com cuidado
carefully
o
the
a parede
the wall
pregar
to nail
o quadro
the picture
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Questions & Answers about Eu vou pregar o quadro na parede com cuidado.
What does pregar mean in this context?
In European Portuguese, pregar means to attach something to a surface using nails, screws or similar fasteners. Here, pregar o quadro na parede is like “nail the picture to the wall.”
Why use vou + infinitive instead of the simple future tense pregarei?
The periphrastic future with vou + infinitive is far more common in spoken (and even in informal written) Portuguese. It expresses a planned or near future action, much like “I’m going to nail” in English. The synthetic future pregarei exists but sounds more formal or literary.
Why is there a definite article before quadro (why o quadro rather than just quadro)?
Portuguese normally requires the definite article before singular, countable nouns when referring to something specific. Saying o quadro signals “the picture/frame” you already have in mind. Omitting the article (“vou pregar quadro”) would sound unnatural.
Why is the preposition na parede used here instead of just em or à?
na is the contraction of em + a, meaning “in/on the.” So pregar o quadro na parede literally “nail the picture on the wall.” You cannot use plain em a parede (it must contract), and à parede (from a + a) would mean “to the wall,” which isn’t the usual collocation for fastening something.
What’s the difference between pregar and pendurar?
- pregar: to nail or tack directly into a surface (using hammer and nails, etc.)
- pendurar: to hang, typically from a hook, nail head, bracket or string
If your frame has a wire or hook and you hang it, you pendura; if you drive a nail through the frame’s edge, you pregar.
Can I move com cuidado to a different position in the sentence, like before the verb?
Yes. Portuguese word order is flexible. You could say:
“Eu vou com cuidado pregar o quadro na parede.”
Both placements are correct, but placing com cuidado at the end often feels more natural.
What’s the difference between com cuidado and cuidadosamente?
Both mean “carefully.”
- com cuidado is a prepositional phrase (“with care”) and is very common in speech.
- cuidadosamente is an adverb (-mente form) and feels more formal or written.
Why isn’t there a preposition before o quadro (why not pregar no quadro)?
pregar is a transitive verb that takes a direct object without a preposition. pregar o quadro = “nail the picture.” Saying pregar no quadro would mean “nail onto the picture itself,” which changes the meaning.
Could I say Eu estou a pregar o quadro na parede instead?
Yes—but that expresses a continuous action (“I am nailing the picture to the wall” right now). In European Portuguese, estar a + infinitive marks ongoing actions, whereas vou + infinitive indicates future intent.
Is it necessary to include the subject Eu?
No. Portuguese is a pro-drop language, so you can omit the subject pronoun. “Vou pregar o quadro na parede com cuidado” is perfectly natural; the verb form vou already tells you the subject is “I.”