Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Estes sapatos são estreitos para mim, mas a Ana acha‑os confortáveis. - These shoes are narrow for me, but Ana finds them comfortable.

In European Portuguese it’s common to use the definite article before personal names: a Ana, o João. It sounds natural in everyday speech and much writing. You normally drop the article in direct address (e.g., Ana, podes vir?) and in some formal or headline styles. After prepositions, the article stays: para a Ana, da Ana. In Brazilian Portuguese, the article is usually omitted with names.

Why is there a hyphen in acha‑os, and why is the pronoun after the verb?

European Portuguese prefers enclisis (pronoun after the verb) in neutral, affirmative main clauses. You attach the unstressed object pronoun with a hyphen: acha‑os (she finds them). Proclisis (pronoun before the verb) is used when something attracts the pronoun, such as:

Negation: A Ana não os acha confortáveis.
Certain adverbs or subordinators/relatives: Que os acha a Ana?, Quando os experimenta, a Ana acha‑os confortáveis.
Interrogatives: Onde os achas?

No trigger = enclisis: A Ana acha‑os confortáveis.

Can I say A Ana os acha confortáveis or A Ana acha eles confortáveis?

A Ana os acha confortáveis is not standard in European Portuguese unless there’s a proclisis trigger (e.g., A Ana não os acha…). Without a trigger, use enclisis: A Ana acha‑os confortáveis.
A Ana acha eles confortáveis is non‑standard; eles is a subject pronoun. Use the clitic os for a direct object: A Ana acha‑os confortáveis.

What does os stand for, and why is it os rather than o or as?

Os replaces os sapatos (masculine plural). The unstressed direct‑object clitics agree in gender and number with what they replace:

Masculine singular: o → acha‑o
Feminine singular: a → acha‑a
Masculine plural: os → acha‑os
Feminine plural: as → acha‑as

Why are estreitos and confortáveis plural? Does the adjective agree with the pronoun?

Yes. Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe, even if that noun is represented by a pronoun.

Estes sapatos são estreitos: predicate adjective agrees with the subject sapatos.
A Ana acha‑os confortáveis: confortáveis is a predicate of the direct object (os = sapatos), so it’s masculine plural. If it were boots (as botas), you’d get A Ana acha‑as confortáveis.

Why does confortáveis have an accent?

Without the accent, default stress would fall on the penultimate syllable (-veis), but the word is stressed on -tá-: con-for-TÁ-veis. The acute accent marks this non‑default stress (and vowel quality). The singular confortável also needs the accent, because words ending in -l are normally stressed on the last syllable.

Is estreitos the best word for shoes? What about apertados?

Both are possible, but for clothing/footwear, apertado(s) often sounds more idiomatic (tight). Nuance:

estreito(s) = narrow (shape/width)
apertado(s) = tight (fit/feeling) So many speakers would say: Estes sapatos ficam‑me apertados.

How do I say “too narrow”?

Very common in Portugal: demasiado estreitos / demasiado apertados
Also heard: estreitos demais / apertados demais Note: demais (one word) is the adverb “too, overly.” de mais (two words) is used after a noun, meaning “in excess” (e.g., coisas de mais).

Why is it para mim and not para eu?

After prepositions you use the tonic pronouns: mim, ti, si, ele/ela, nós, vós, eles/elas. So it’s para mim, not para eu. Compare:

para mim, para ti, para nós, para eles Also note that por mim means “as far as I’m concerned,” which is different from suitability (para mim).

Is são‑me estreitos or ficam‑me apertados also correct?

Yes. European Portuguese often uses a dative clitic for the affected person:

Estes sapatos são‑me estreitos.
More idiomatic with fit: Estes sapatos ficam‑me apertados. Both are natural in Portugal; ficar‑me + adj is very common with clothes/shoes.

What does achar mean here, and can I use pensar or considerar instead?

Here achar = “to find/consider (to be).” The pattern is: achar + object + adjective → A Ana acha‑os confortáveis.

considerar works the same and is a bit more formal: A Ana considera‑os confortáveis.
pensar doesn’t take this object‑complement structure. You’d use a que clause: A Ana pensa que são confortáveis.

Why is there a comma before mas?

Mas (“but”) is a coordinating conjunction that introduces a contrast, so standard punctuation uses a comma before it: …, mas …

When should I use estes, esses, or aqueles?

estes: near the speaker (“these here with me”)
esses: near the listener or just mentioned (“those by you / those we just talked about”)
aqueles: far from both (“those over there/elsewhere”) So Estes sapatos implies the shoes are close to the speaker.

How do I pronounce tricky bits like acha‑os, estreitos, and confortáveis in European Portuguese?

Approximate guides (EP):

acha‑os: AH‑shah‑oosh (the final -os is like “oosh”)
estreitos: (ish-)SHRAY‑toosh
confortáveis: con‑for‑TAH‑vaysh Tip: Final -s often sounds like “sh” in EP, and ch is “sh.”

Why is it acha‑os and not acha‑los? When do I use ‑lo/‑la/‑los/‑las?

You use ‑lo/‑la/‑los/‑las when the verb form ends in r, s, or z; you drop that final letter and add the ‑lo form (and often add/keep an accent to preserve stress):

trazer + o → trazê‑lo
fazer + os → fazê‑los With forms ending in a vowel (like acha), you use ‑o/‑a/‑os/‑as: acha‑os. If the verb ends in a nasal sound (‑m, ‑ão), you use ‑no/‑na/‑nos/‑nas: fazem‑no, põem‑no.