Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O marcador azul não escreve; podes trazer outro? - The blue marker doesn’t write; can you bring another one?

In Portuguese, most adjectives come after the noun, especially color adjectives. So the natural order is marcador azul. Putting the adjective before the noun (e.g., azul marcador) is unusual and sounds poetic or marked. Other examples: caneta preta, carro vermelho.

Does “não escreve” mean “doesn’t write” or “isn’t writing”? Why not “está a escrever”?

Here não escreve means “isn’t writing / doesn’t write” in the sense of “it doesn’t work (the ink isn’t coming out).” Portuguese often uses the simple present to describe states or malfunctions. The progressive in European Portuguese is estar a + infinitive (e.g., está a escrever), but that describes an ongoing action (someone is in the act of writing), which doesn’t fit a pen/marker. You could also say:

não funciona (it doesn’t work)
já não tem tinta or secou (it’s out of ink / dried out)

Why is it “podes” and not “pode”?

Podes is second-person singular (informal “tu”). Pode is third-person singular, used with você (more formal or distant in Portugal) and for formal address. So:

Informal: Podes trazer outro?
Formal: Pode trazer outro?

Do I need to say “tu”? Is “tu podes” required?

No. Portuguese is a “null-subject” language, so the subject pronoun is usually dropped. Podes trazer outro? is the normal choice. Tu podes trazer outro? is possible for emphasis or clarity.

How can I make this request more or less polite?

More direct: Traz outro.
Neutral/friendly: Podes trazer outro?
With courtesy: Podes trazer outro, por favor?
Formal: Pode trazer outro, por favor?
Softer/more polite: Podias/Podia trazer outro, por favor? (using the imperfect/conditional for politeness)
Alternative: Consegues/Consegue trazer outro? (also sounds polite in PT)

Where should I put “por favor”?

Most commonly at the end: Podes trazer outro, por favor?
Other acceptable placements: Por favor, podes trazer outro? or Podes, por favor, trazer outro? The final position is the most frequent and sounds natural.

Why is there a semicolon? Could I use a period instead?

A semicolon joins two closely related independent clauses: O marcador azul não escreve; podes trazer outro? You can definitely use a period: O marcador azul não escreve. Podes trazer outro? A comma alone would be incorrect in formal writing.

Why use “trazer” and not “levar”?

trazer = bring (toward the speaker or the current location of the speaker)
levar = take (away from the speaker to somewhere else)
Here the person is asked to bring something to the speaker, so trazer fits: Podes trazer outro?

Can “outro” stand on its own, without repeating “marcador”?

Yes. Outro can function as a pronoun meaning “another one.” The gender and number agree with the understood noun:

Podes trazer outro? (another marker, masculine singular)
Podes trazer outra? (another pen, if the noun is feminine)
Podes trazer outros/outras? (plurals)

What’s the difference between “outro”, “mais um”, and “um outro”?

outro = another/different one (replace the current one)
mais um = one more, an additional one (you’ll have an extra)
um outro = one other/different one (a bit more emphatic than plain “outro”)
Avoid “mais outro” (redundant).

Where do I put object pronouns like “me” with this sentence?

In European Portuguese:

With poder + infinitive, it’s very natural to attach the pronoun to the infinitive: Podes trazer‑me outro?
Attaching it to the finite verb is also common: Podes‑me trazer outro?
Brazilian Portuguese prefers: Pode me trazer outro? (not the EP norm)
In negatives or with certain words (e.g., “já”, “nunca”), proclisis is triggered: Não me podes trazer outro? / Já me podes trazer outro?
Imperatives have their own rules (see next Q/A).

Can I use the imperative instead of “podes”?

Yes:

Informal affirmative: Traz outro. / Traz‑me outro.
Informal negative: Não tragas outro. / Não me tragas outro.
Formal affirmative: Traga outro. / Traga‑me outro.
Formal negative: Não traga outro. / Não me traga outro.
In affirmative imperatives, the clitic attaches after the verb (traz‑me). In negatives, it goes before (não me tragas).

How do I say this to more than one person?

Use the plural:

With poder: Podem trazer outro?
Imperative: Tragam outro. / Tragam‑me outro.
Polite/softer: Podiam trazer outro, por favor?

Is “marcador” the usual word in Portugal?

Yes, marcador is widely used for a felt‑tip marker. For highlighters, you’ll hear sublinhador or marcador fluorescente. Caneta is a pen in general. Note: Brazilian Portuguese often says marca‑texto for a highlighter.

Why the definite article “O marcador”? Could I say “Um marcador”?

O marcador refers to a specific, known marker (“the blue marker” you and I can identify). Um marcador would introduce a nonspecific one (“a blue marker”). In your sentence, the definite article fits because you’re talking about a particular item that isn’t working.

Does “azul” change for gender or number?

Gender: azul doesn’t change between masculine and feminine in the singular (e.g., marcador azul, caneta azul).
Number: the plural is azuis (e.g., marcadores azuis).
Note: some color words derived from nouns are invariable (e.g., laranja: camisa laranja / camisas laranja). You can also use cor de + noun (e.g., cor de laranja).

How do I say “no longer writes”?

Use já não: O marcador azul já não escreve; podes trazer outro? This stresses that it used to work but doesn’t anymore.

Any tips on European Portuguese pronunciation for this sentence?

Approximate EP pronunciations:

O marcador azul ≈ “oo muhr-kah-DOHR ah-ZOOL”
não ≈ “now̃” (nasalized)
escreve ≈ “sh-KREH-veh”
podes ≈ “POH-desh”
trazer ≈ “trah-ZEHR”
outro ≈ “OHW-troo”
Saying it smoothly: “oo muhr-kah-DOHR ah-ZOOL | now̃ ish-KREH-veh; | POH-desh trah-ZEHR OHW-troo?” (vertical bars show natural pauses)