Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O senhorio subiu a renda este mês, e eu não estava à espera. - The landlord raised the rent this month, and I wasn’t expecting it.

In European Portuguese, o senhorio is the person who owns the property you rent, i.e., the landlord. The feminine is a senhoria (landlady). You’ll also hear gender-neutral or role-based alternatives like o/a proprietário/a or colloquial o dono/a dona da casa.

Why is it o senhorio and not meu senhorio? Does it still mean “my landlord”?

Yes. In Portuguese, the definite article often identifies a specific, contextually known person. In a tenant–landlord context, o senhorio naturally implies “my/our building’s landlord.” You can say o meu senhorio to be explicit or contrast with someone else’s.

Can I drop the article and just say senhorio?

Not in this meaning. Portuguese typically requires the article: o senhorio. Bare nouns like English “landlord” are uncommon outside set expressions.

Is subiu a renda correct? I thought subir was intransitive.

Both are possible in modern usage:

Intransitive: A renda subiu (“The rent went up.”)
Transitive: O senhorio subiu a renda (“The landlord raised the rent.”)

Transitive subir is common and idiomatic in European Portuguese. A neutral alternative is aumentar: O senhorio aumentou a renda.

Why is it a renda and not à renda?

Here a is the definite article (“the”), not a preposition. À (with grave accent) is the contraction of the preposition a + the article a. Since renda is the direct object of the verb, no preposition is needed: a renda.

Does renda ever mean “income”? Could it be confused?

renda = rent (what a tenant pays). It also means “lace” (fabric) in other contexts.
“Income” is usually rendimento (or renda in some economic/technical contexts, but everyday Portuguese prefers rendimento or salário for salary). In housing contexts, renda will be understood as “rent.”

What would Brazilians say instead of renda?

In Brazil: aluguel. A Brazilian version of the sentence could be: O proprietário aumentou o aluguel este mês, e eu não estava esperando.

Why este mês and not neste mês? Are both correct?

Both are correct; they differ slightly in structure:

este mês = “this month” (no preposition)
neste mês = “in this month” (contraction of em + este) In your sentence, este mês is natural. If you start the sentence, both work: Este mês, … / Neste mês, …

Is the comma before e necessary: …, e eu não…?

It’s optional. Standard punctuation in Portuguese usually omits the comma before e joining two clauses: … este mês e eu não …. A comma can be used to mark a pause or slight contrast. Many editors would remove it.

Why is it não estava à espera (imperfect) and not não estive à espera (preterite)?

The imperfect estava describes an ongoing background state at the time of the event (the rent rise). It’s the natural choice for “I wasn’t expecting (it).” Não estive à espera would suggest a bounded period of “being in a waiting state,” which doesn’t fit the meaning here.

What exactly does estar à espera (de) mean? Do I need de?

Estar à espera (de X) means “to be waiting for / expecting (X).”

With an explicit object, use de: Estou à espera de notícias.
If the object is obvious, Portuguese often drops it: Não estava à espera (disso). When you want to name the thing, include de.

Where is the “it” in “I wasn’t expecting it”? Should I add disso?

Portuguese often omits a direct equivalent of English “it.” If you want to be explicit, add disso (“of that”): … e eu não estava à espera disso. You can also use disto/daquilo depending on distance/context.

What’s the difference between esperar, esperar por, and estar à espera de?

esperar
- noun/clause: can be “to expect” or “to hope”: Espero boas notícias; Espero que venhas.
esperar por
- noun/pronoun: “to wait for”: Estou a esperar por ti (EP also uses à structure more).
estar à espera de
- noun/pronoun: very common for both waiting for and expecting: Estou à espera de um email. In your sentence, estar à espera conveys “to be expecting it.”

Could I say Eu não esperava instead of não estava à espera?

Yes. Eu não esperava is also idiomatic (“I didn’t expect [it]”). Nuance:

não estava à espera highlights an ongoing state of not expecting at that time.
não esperava states a general expectation (or lack thereof). In practice, both are fine here.

Why is à in à espera written with a grave accent?

It marks the contraction (crase) of preposition a + article a = à. The fixed phrase is estar à espera (de …). Don’t write a espera (no accent), and don’t confuse à with há (“there is/are” or “ago”).

Can I move este mês to the beginning?

Yes: Este mês, o senhorio subiu a renda, e eu não estava à espera. Comma after the fronted time phrase is standard.

What if I want to avoid naming the landlord?

Use the intransitive version: A renda subiu este mês, e eu não estava à espera. That focuses on the rent increase without assigning agency.

Any register differences between subiu a renda and aumentou a renda?

Both are neutral and common in European Portuguese. Some stylistic guides prefer aumentar as the “clear” causative, but everyday speech and journalism widely use transitive subir with prices, rents, taxes, etc.

Is eu necessary in e eu não estava à espera?

Helpful here. Without eu, … e não estava à espera could be ambiguous (it might be read as referring to the landlord). Portuguese often drops subject pronouns, but includes them to avoid ambiguity or add contrast.

Quick pronunciation tips?

senhorio: roughly “s’nyo-REE-oo” [sɨɲoˈɾiu] (the nh-like sound in senh- is /ɲ/).
renda: “REN-duh” [ˈʁẽdɐ] (EP often has a guttural R).
à: same vowel as a, the accent marks contraction, not a different sound.