Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): É importante concluir a pesquisa antes de enviar o relatório. - It is important to complete the research before sending the report.

In Portuguese é (with an acute accent) is the third-person singular present of the verb ser (“to be”). The accent shows that this syllable is stressed and that the vowel is a closed “e” sound (/e/), distinguishing it from e (“and”) without an accent.

Why don’t we say É importante que concluamos instead of É importante concluir?

Portuguese allows two ways to express necessity or importance:
1) Impersonal expression + infinitive: É importante concluir… (more neutral, general statement)
2) Impersonal expression + “que” + subjunctive: É importante que concluamos… (more formal, emphasises the action by specific subjects). Both are correct; the infinitive version is very common in written instructions.

Why is the infinitive concluir used after importante?

After many impersonal expressions (like é preciso, é melhor, é fácil), Portuguese uses the infinitive to talk about an action in general. It’s similar to English saying “It’s important to finish…” rather than “It’s important that we finish…”.

What’s the difference between concluir and terminar?

Both mean “to finish” or “to complete,” but:

concluir often implies reaching a logical end or drawing a conclusion (e.g. completing a study, argument, or negotiation).
terminar is more general for bringing something to an end (e.g. finishing a meeting, a meal, a book).
In this sentence concluir a pesquisa emphasises completing the research process fully.

Why is there an a before pesquisa and an o before relatório?

Portuguese uses definite articles before nouns more frequently than English. Here they mark specific items:

a pesquisa (the research/survey that’s being conducted)
o relatório (the specific report to be sent).
Omitting the article would sound overly abrupt or change the nuance.

Why is antes de used before enviar?

When you have “before” followed by an infinitive, Portuguese uses antes de + infinitive. If you use a full clause with a subject, you’d say antes que + subjunctive (e.g. antes que ele envie).

Could I use mandar instead of enviar?

Yes, mandar (“to send”) is a common synonym of enviar, especially in spoken registers. enviar can sound slightly more formal or technical, which fits well in business or academic contexts.

How do I pronounce relatório and where is the stress?

relatório is pronounced [ʁe.laˈto.ɾju] in European Portuguese. The stress falls on the penultimate syllable tó.