Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Perdi o meu cartão bancário no mercado.

Portuguese is a “pro‑drop” language: the verb ending tells you who the subject is. Perdi ends in -i, which marks first person singular (I). You only add eu for emphasis or contrast, e.g., Eu perdi, não tu.

What tense is perdi, and when do I use it?

It’s the simple past (Pretérito Perfeito Simples). Use it for a single, completed event in the past: one definite loss that already happened.

Can I say Tenho perdido o meu cartão…?

Not for a one‑time mishap. Tenho perdido means “I have been losing (repeatedly/over time).” For a single incident, stick with Perdi o meu cartão…. You can add já for “already”: Já perdi o meu cartão…

Why do we say o meu? Could I say just meu cartão?

In European Portuguese, possessives usually take a definite article: o meu, a minha, os meus, as minhas. Perdi o meu cartão… sounds natural in Portugal. Dropping the article (Perdi meu cartão…) is typical of Brazilian usage or special contexts (e.g., after ser: É o meu.).

Could I omit the possessive and say Perdi o cartão?

Yes, if the context already makes it obvious which card you mean. Perdi o cartão = “I lost the card,” which may be understood as yours or a previously mentioned one. o meu explicitly marks it as yours.

Is cartão bancário what people actually say in Portugal?

Yes, it’s a correct generic term. You’ll also hear:

cartão do banco (very common, colloquial)
cartão multibanco (typically a debit card on Portugal’s Multibanco network)
cartão de crédito (credit card) Use the specific term if you need to be precise.

What’s the difference between cartão bancário, cartão de crédito, and cartão multibanco?

cartão bancário: generic “bank card” (could be debit or credit).
cartão multibanco: debit card linked to the Portuguese Multibanco system.
cartão de crédito: credit card.
If a bank asks which one, specify multibanco (debit) or crédito.

Does cartão also mean “cardboard”?

Yes. cartão can mean “card” or “cardboard” (in Portugal). Context or an extra word (e.g., bancário, de crédito) clarifies which kind of card you mean.

What does no mean in no mercado?

no is the contraction of em + o (“in/at the”). Because mercado is masculine singular (o mercado), you get no mercado.
Related:

na = em + a (feminine): na loja
num/numa = em + um/uma (“in a”): num mercado, numa loja

What’s the difference between no mercado and num mercado?

no mercado = “in/at the market” (a specific, known market)
num mercado = “in/at a market” (unspecified, any market)

Could mercado mean the stock market here?

Not in this sentence. Unqualified no mercado as a place refers to a physical market. For the stock market you’d say no mercado financeiro, no mercado bolsista, or na bolsa.

Is mercado the same as supermercado or feira?

mercado: a market hall/municipal market (stalls for fish, produce, etc.).
supermercado: supermarket/grocery store.
feira: open‑air market or fair.
Use the one that matches where you were.

How do I pronounce the sentence in European Portuguese?

Approximation: puhR-DEE oo MEW kar-TOWN bang-KAH-ryoo noo mehr-KAH-doo.
Tips:

ão in cartão is a nasal sound (like English “own” but nasal).
The single r in mercado is a guttural sound in much of Portugal.
The article o is often pronounced like “oo”: o meu ≈ “oo MEW.”

Why bancário (masculine) and not bancária?

Adjectives agree with the noun. cartão is masculine, so bancário. If the noun were feminine (e.g., conta), you’d use bancária: conta bancária.

Can I replace o meu cartão bancário with a pronoun?

Yes:

Affirmative past: Perdi-o no mercado. (enclitic pronoun with hyphen)
Negative: Não o perdi. (pronoun before the verb)
With infinitive: perdê-lo (the verb loses the final -r: Vou perdê-lo.)

Is Perdi-me correct here?

No. Perdi-me means “I got lost (myself).” For losing an object, use Perdi + object: Perdi o meu cartão…

What if I mean “I forgot/left/it was stolen,” not “I lost”?

“I forgot my card”: Esqueci-me do meu cartão.
“I left my card (there)”: Deixei o meu cartão (lá).
“My card was stolen”: Roubaram-me o cartão / O meu cartão foi roubado.
Use these if they describe the situation more accurately.

Can I front the place phrase for emphasis?

Yes. No mercado, perdi o meu cartão bancário. This is fine and puts focus on the location.

Any diacritics I should notice?

cartão (til on ã)
bancário (acute on á)
Perdi, o, meu, no, mercado have no accents.
Spelling matters for pronunciation and stress.

Could Perdi o cartão mean a store loyalty card or ID card?

Yes. cartão is generic (loyalty card, ID, bus pass, etc.). Add a qualifier (bancário, de crédito, multibanco, da loja) to be specific.