Breakdown of Eu não quero gastar dinheiro hoje.
eu
I
hoje
today
querer
to want
não
not
o dinheiro
the money
gastar
to spend
Questions & Answers about Eu não quero gastar dinheiro hoje.
Can I drop the subject pronoun Eu?
Yes. European Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows who the subject is. Both are correct:
- Eu não quero gastar dinheiro hoje.
- Não quero gastar dinheiro hoje. Using Eu adds emphasis or contrast.
Where does não go in a sentence like this?
Não goes right before the conjugated verb: Não quero…. You generally don’t say Quero não gastar unless you specifically want to negate the action in the infinitive (I want to not spend), which sounds less natural than Não quero gastar.
Why is there no de before gastar?
Because querer is followed directly by an infinitive. Compare:
- Quero gastar.
- But: Gosto de gastar. (some verbs like gostar require de)
How do I say “I don’t want to spend it today” using a pronoun?
Replace dinheiro with the masculine direct object pronoun o. In EP you can place it:
- Before the finite verb (proclisis): Não o quero gastar hoje.
- Attached to the infinitive (enclisis): Não quero gastá-lo hoje. Note the hyphen and the accent in gastá-lo. After an infinitive ending in -r, o becomes -lo (the final r drops and the vowel is accented to keep the stress).
Do I need an article with dinheiro here?
No. Dinheiro is a mass noun, so when you mean money in general or an unspecified amount, you use it without an article: gastar dinheiro. Use o dinheiro if you mean specific money:
- Não quero gastar o dinheiro que poupámos. (the money we saved)
Can dinheiro be plural?
Not in everyday speech. The plural dinheiros exists but is rare and tends to appear in set or formal expressions (e.g., dinheiros públicos = public funds).
Can I move hoje to the beginning?
Yes. Adverbs of time are flexible in Portuguese:
- Hoje não quero gastar dinheiro.
- Eu hoje não quero gastar dinheiro. Putting hoje first emphasizes the time frame.
How is the sentence pronounced in European Portuguese?
Approximate IPA (Lisbon): [ew nɐ̃w ˈkɛɾu ɡaʃˈtaɾ diˈɲejɾu ˈoʒɨ] Tips:
- Eu ≈ “ehw.”
- Não has a nasalized ão (see below).
- Quero has open e like in “bed,” r is a quick tap.
- Gastar: s before t sounds like “sh” in EP; final r is soft.
- Dinheiro: nh = “ny” (like Spanish ñ), ei like “ay.”
- Hoje: silent h; j = the “zh” in “measure;” final e is a reduced vowel.
What does the tilde in não mean?
It marks nasalization. Não is pronounced with a nasal diphthong, roughly like “now” but nasalized: [nɐ̃w̃].
How do I say “I don’t want to spend any money today”?
- Colloquial: Não quero gastar dinheiro nenhum hoje.
- More formal: Não quero gastar dinheiro algum hoje. Avoid qualquer in negatives here; use nenhum or post‑nominal algum.
How do I say “spend money on X” in Portuguese?
Use gastar dinheiro em or gastar dinheiro com:
- Gastar dinheiro em roupa / gastar dinheiro com roupa Both are accepted in Portugal; em is a bit more “textbook,” com is very common in speech.
How do I conjugate querer in the present (Portugal)?
- eu quero
- tu queres
- ele/ela quer
- nós queremos
- vocês querem (Vós quereis exists but is rarely used in modern European Portuguese.)
What’s the difference between Não quero gastar dinheiro hoje and Não vou gastar dinheiro hoje?
- Não quero… = I don’t want to (lack of desire).
- Não vou… = I’m not going to (a plan/decision about the near future). Both can imply you won’t spend, but the nuance differs.
Can I use sem instead of não?
Sem means “without,” so you’d restructure:
- Quero sair sem gastar dinheiro. (I want to go out without spending money.) To negate the main verb, stick with não: Não quero gastar dinheiro.
Is there a more natural way to express “I don’t feel like spending money today” in Portugal?
Yes:
- Não me apetece gastar dinheiro hoje. (very idiomatic in EP) You might also hear: Hoje não estou para gastar dinheiro.
Why is the s in gastar pronounced like “sh” in Portugal?
In European Portuguese, s is pronounced [ʃ] when it comes before certain consonants (like t, p, c, f). Hence gastar sounds like [gaʃˈtaɾ].
Is the h in hoje silent?
Yes. Hoje is pronounced roughly “OH-zh(uh)” in EP: [ˈoʒɨ]. The h is silent, and j sounds like “zh.”
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