Breakdown of Eu preciso de ajuda com este projecto.
eu
I
precisar de
to need
este
this
a ajuda
the help
com
with
o projecto
the project
Questions & Answers about Eu preciso de ajuda com este projecto.
Why do we say precisar de instead of just precisar?
In Portuguese the verb precisar (to need) requires the preposition de before its object. You always say precisar de algo. Omitting de is ungrammatical.
Can I omit de and say Eu preciso ajuda com este projecto?
No. Dropping de breaks the verb’s required structure. The correct form is Eu preciso de ajuda.
Why is there no article before ajuda?
When talking about help in general, Portuguese omits the article: precisar de ajuda. If you refer to specific help, you can add an article or possessive, e.g. precisar da ajuda do João.
Why do we use com before este projecto?
To express “help with something” Portuguese uses ajuda com, mirroring English help with. Hence ajuda com este projecto.
Why este instead of esse or aquele?
European Portuguese has three demonstratives:
- este: near the speaker
- esse: near the listener
- aquele: far from both
We use este because the project is conceptually close or just introduced by the speaker.
Can I drop Eu and just say Preciso de ajuda com este projecto?
Yes. Portuguese often omits subject pronouns since the verb ending (preciso) already indicates eu.
What’s the difference between projecto and projeto?
According to the 1990 Orthographic Agreement, European Portuguese officially uses projeto, removing the silent c. However, projecto still appears in older texts. In Brazilian Portuguese, only projeto is used.
Can I use another verb like necessitar de instead of precisar de?
You can. Necessitar de is correct but more formal or literary. In everyday speech, precisar de is the natural choice.
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