Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O Pedro não só lava o chão com a esfregona, mas também limpa o balde. - Pedro not only washes the floor with the mop but also cleans the bucket.

In European Portuguese it’s common (though not obligatory) to use the definite article with personal names: o Pedro, a Maria. It doesn’t change the meaning; it’s a stylistic/regional habit and sounds very natural in Portugal. In Brazilian Portuguese, this article is generally not used with names.

Does não in não só … mas também actually negate anything?

No. The structure não só … mas também is a correlative pair meaning not only … but also. The não is part of the idiom and does not negate; both actions are affirmed. To negate both, you’d need something like não … nem ….

Is the comma before mas required here?

Yes. In Portuguese, a comma normally precedes the coordinating conjunction mas when it links clauses: …, mas …. In this set expression (não só …, mas também …), the comma is standard.

Can I use como também instead of mas também?

Yes. Não só …, como também … is very common in Portugal and fully equivalent in meaning. Some speakers feel como também is a touch more formal; mas também is neutral. You’ll see both.

Where can I place não só in the sentence?

Most common is after the subject: O Pedro não só lava …, mas também limpa …. You can also start the sentence if you’re contrasting subjects or fronting the structure: Não só o Pedro lava o chão, mas também a Ana. If you’re coordinating objects with the same verb, you can do: O Pedro lava não só o chão, mas também o balde.

Why is it lava o chão but limpa o balde? What’s the difference between lavar and limpar?

lavar = to wash (with water or liquid). Collocates naturally with o chão when you use water/mop.
limpar = to clean (general, not necessarily with water). Cleaning a bucket may or may not involve washing, so limpar o balde is idiomatic. You could also say lavar o balde if water is involved, and limpar o chão when you mean “clean the floor” more generally.

Is lava o chão com a esfregona the most idiomatic way to say “mop the floor”?

It’s fine and clear. In everyday Portuguese you’ll also hear the set phrase passar a esfregona (no chão), which specifically means “to mop (the floor).”

Why is it com a esfregona (with the definite article) instead of com uma esfregona?

Portuguese often uses the definite article with instruments in a general sense: com a esfregona, com a faca, com o martelo. It doesn’t necessarily mean a specific mop; it’s just idiomatic. Com uma esfregona is also possible, but it highlights “a mop” as a new/indefinite item.

What’s the usual word for “mop” in Portugal—esfregona or mopa?

In Portugal, esfregona is the common everyday term for a mop. Mopa is also used, often for flat microfiber mops (and in professional contexts), but esfregona is widely understood and safe to use.

Can I drop the article and say lava chão?

No. In Portuguese you generally keep the article with a concrete noun like chão: lavar o chão. Omitting the article there sounds ungrammatical. (There are set expressions without articles, e.g., a pé, em casa, but this isn’t one of them.)

How would I say it in the past tense?

Use the preterite: O Pedro não só lavou o chão com a esfregona, mas também limpou o balde.

How do object pronouns work here if I replace the nouns?

Replace o chão (masc. sg.) with o and keep o balde explicit: O Pedro não só o lava com a esfregona, mas também limpa o balde.
The não in não só triggers proclisis (o lava).
Replace o balde with o and keep o chão explicit: O Pedro não só lava o chão com a esfregona, mas também o limpa.
Here também tends to trigger proclisis, so o limpa is very natural. (Enclisis limpa-o is also seen, but after também proclisis is preferred in European Portuguese.)

Any pronunciation tips for tricky words like chão, não, esfregona, mas?

chão and não have a nasal ão (think “ow” while nasalizing).
ch in chão is “sh” [ʃ].
In esfregona, the initial esf- sounds like “shf-” in European Portuguese, and the stressed syllable is -go-: es-fre-GO-na.
mas is pronounced roughly “mush” [mɐʃ] before a consonant.

Does também need an accent?

Yes. It’s spelled também with an acute accent on the e. Without the accent it would be misspelled.

Is chão “floor” or “ground”?

Both, depending on context. Indoors it’s typically “floor”; outdoors it can be “ground”. For a wooden floor you may also hear soalho; piso can mean “storey/level” or “floor surface” in some contexts.

If I want to be explicit that it’s the mop bucket, how can I say that?

Say o balde da esfregona (the mop’s bucket):
O Pedro não só lava o chão com a esfregona, mas também limpa o balde da esfregona.