Breakdown of Hoje não quero nem micro-ondas nem fogão; vou comer frio.
hoje
today
comer
to eat
ir
to go
querer
to want
não
not
frio
cold
o fogão
the stove
o micro-ondas
the microwave
nem ... nem
neither ... nor
Questions & Answers about Hoje não quero nem micro-ondas nem fogão; vou comer frio.
Why does Portuguese use both não and nem ... nem here? Isn’t that a double negative?
No. European Portuguese has negative concord: multiple negative elements co‑occur to express a single negation. With verbs like querer, you normally say Não quero nem X nem Y. You can drop não only if you front the whole nem … nem … phrase for emphasis: Nem micro-ondas nem fogão quero (usar) hoje.
Do I have to repeat nem before both items?
Yes, that’s the natural pattern: nem X nem Y. With longer lists, keep repeating it: Não quero nem micro-ondas nem fogão nem forno. Omitting the second nem is possible in some styles, but repeating it is safest and most idiomatic.
Can I use ou or e instead of nem ... nem?
Not if you want the meaning of “neither … nor.”
- ou means “or” and, under negation, can be ambiguous; avoid it here.
- e means “and,” so Não quero micro-ondas e fogão suggests you don’t want both together, not necessarily each one individually.
Use não … nem … nem … to be clear.
Why is there no article before micro-ondas or fogão? Should it be o micro-ondas, o fogão?
Both are possible. Without articles you’re speaking generically: Não quero usar micro-ondas nem fogão (no microwave or stove in general). With articles you’re likely referring to specific appliances: Não quero usar o micro-ondas nem o fogão. In European Portuguese, articles are frequent, but in bare lists/generic statements they’re often dropped.
How do I spell and pluralize micro-ondas? What’s its gender?
- Standard spelling is micro-ondas (with hyphen; AO 1990).
- It’s masculine: o micro-ondas.
- The plural is invariable: os micro-ondas, dois micro-ondas.
Avoid forms like microondas or microonda.
What exactly does fogão mean? Is it “stove” or “oven”?
In Portugal:
- fogão traditionally refers to a freestanding cooker (hob + oven).
- In many kitchens today you have a separate placa (hob) and forno (oven).
If you specifically mean you won’t use the hob or the oven, you can say nem a placa nem o forno. The sentence with fogão is still understood as “no stove/cooker.”
Does quero here mean “I want [a microwave]”? Where is “to use”?
Context supplies the missing verb; it’s ellipsis. Hoje não quero nem micro-ondas nem fogão is shorthand for Hoje não quero usar nem o micro-ondas nem o fogão. Portuguese often omits obvious complements like usar in everyday speech.
Why use vou comer instead of the simple future comerei or the present?
ir + infinitivo (here, vou comer) is the most common way to express near future/intent in speech. Alternatives:
- Como frio (present with future value; also fine: scheduled/decided action).
- Comerei frio (simple future; more formal/literary in Portugal).
Avoid vou a comer (not idiomatic for near future). Estou a comer means “I’m eating (now).”
Is comer frio correct? Should frio agree with the food?
With no explicit object, frio is used as a predicate adjective by default (masculine singular): Vou comer frio = “I’ll eat it cold.” If you mention or pronominalize the object, make it agree:
- Vou comer a sopa fria. / Vou comê-la fria.
- Vou comer o bife frio. / Vou comê-lo frio.
Where do object pronouns go with vou comer? Is vou comê-lo right?
In European Portuguese, with ir + infinitivo you normally attach the clitic to the infinitive: Vou comê-lo frio / Vou comê-la fria. Spelling note: comê-lo / comê-la takes a circumflex to keep the stress. Placing the clitic with the auxiliary (Vou-o comer) is possible but sounds very formal/rare in modern EP.
Why a semicolon? Could I use a comma, a dash, or a period?
A semicolon neatly separates two closely related independent clauses: … fogão; vou comer frio. A period also works: … fogão. Vou comer frio. A dash is conversational: … fogão — vou comer frio. A bare comma between independent clauses is less formal and best avoided in careful writing.
Can I move hoje? Is Hoje não quero … different from Não quero … hoje?
Both are fine and mean the same. Hoje não quero … fronts the time frame and is very natural in Portuguese. Não quero … hoje is also common. Choose based on rhythm/emphasis.
How do I pronounce the tricky words in European Portuguese?
Approximate EP pronunciations (caps show the stressed syllable):
- Hoje: OH-zh(uh) [silent h; final vowel reduced]
- não: nãw (nasal “ow”)
- nem: nehm (nasal)
- micro-ondas: mee-kruh-ÓN-dash (final -s ≈ “sh” in EP)
- fogão: foo-GOWN (nasal “ão”)
- vou: voh
- comer: koo-MEHR (tapped r)
- frio: FREE-oo (i + o glide)
Is nem ... nem only used with querer?
No. It’s general:
- Não uso nem o micro-ondas nem o fogão.
- Não vou aquecer nem no micro-ondas nem no fogão.
- Ela não come nem carne nem peixe.
Would Brazilians say this the same way?
The structure não … nem … nem … is the same. Differences:
- Pronoun placement: in Brazil, enclisis to the infinitive (vou comê-lo) is formal; colloquially many say vou comer ele/a or repeat the noun.
- Progressive: Brazil uses estar + gerúndio (estou comendo), while Portugal uses estar a + infinitivo (estou a comer).
- Pronunciation differs (final -s not “sh” in most of Brazil).
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