Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): No comboio para o Porto, escolhi um assento junto à janela. - On the train to Porto, I chose a seat by the window.

No is a contraction of em + o and usually translates as “in/on the.” So No comboio = “On the train.” In Portuguese, em covers both English “in” and “on,” depending on context.

Why is it para o Porto and not just para Porto?

In European Portuguese, many city names take the definite article. Porto almost always appears with the masculine article: o Porto. So “to Porto” is typically para o Porto. Dropping the article (para Porto) sounds odd in Portugal, though you might see it in headlines or signage.

Could I say ao Porto instead of para o Porto?

It depends:

With verbs of motion, both are possible with nuance: Vou ao Porto (to visit/go there) vs Vou para o Porto (to head there as a destination, often with a sense of going to stay or settle).
With a train’s destination, you normally say comboio para o Porto (a train to Porto). Comboio ao Porto is not idiomatic.

Why is there a comma after No comboio para o Porto?

The prepositional phrase is fronted to set the scene, and Portuguese typically uses a comma to separate such an introductory adjunct. You could omit it in very short sentences, but it’s natural and correct here.

Why is there no subject pronoun before escolhi?

Portuguese is a “null-subject” language; the verb ending tells you the subject. Escolhi already means “I chose.” You add eu only for emphasis or contrast: Eu escolhi, not someone else.

Why the preterite escolhi and not the imperfect escolhia?

Use the preterite (escolhi) for a completed action at a specific time. The imperfect (escolhia) would suggest a habitual action in the past (“I used to choose”) or background/ongoing action, which doesn’t fit here.

What’s the difference between assento and lugar?

Assento = the physical seat (the object).
Lugar = a seat/place as a spot or reservation. In travel contexts in Portugal, it’s more idiomatic to say um lugar à janela (“a window seat”). Assento isn’t wrong, but lugar is what you’ll hear most for passenger seating.

Is there a spelling trap with assento?

Yes. Assento (seat) has double s. Acento (accent/diacritic) is spelled with one c. Don’t confuse them.

What does junto à janela mean literally, and why the accent in à?

Junto a means “next to/adjacent to.” Because janela is feminine, the preposition a + article a contracts to à (grave accent marks this contraction). So junto à janela = “next to the window.”

Could I say na janela instead of à janela?

Not for a seat choice. Na janela (“in/at the window”) describes location (e.g., a plant on/at the window). For a “window seat,” Portuguese uses the set phrase (um lugar) à janela. Similarly, (um lugar) no corredor = “an aisle seat.”

Are there synonyms for junto à janela?

Yes:

ao pé da janela (very EP) = right by the window
ao lado da janela = beside the window
perto da janela = near the window (not necessarily adjacent) For a seat, the set phrase à janela is the most idiomatic.

Does em always mean “in,” or can it be “on” too?

Em can correspond to “in,” “on,” or “at,” depending on context. Here no comboio naturally reads as “on the train.” Other examples: na mesa (on the table), na cidade (in the city), no aeroporto (at the airport).

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

no comboio = “on the train” (a specific, known train)
num comboio (contraction of em + um) = “on a train” (non-specific)

Is there any colloquial contraction of para o?

In speech, para o often becomes pr’ó (written informally as pró). So you might hear No comboio pró Porto… This is colloquial; in careful writing, use para o.

Any differences between Portugal and Brazil in this sentence?

Vocabulary: in Brazil, trem is used instead of comboio. So a Brazilian might say No trem para o Porto… (though the article with Porto varies regionally). The rest—escolhi, um lugar/assento, à janela—works in both varieties, with minor preference differences (Brazil tends to say assento more; Portugal prefers lugar in travel contexts).

How do I pronounce the trickier bits in European Portuguese?

escolhi: roughly “ush-ko-LEE”; initial e is a reduced vowel; s = “sh”; lh = palatal “ly.”
junto / janela: j = “zh” as in “measure” (“ZHUN-toh,” “zhah-NEH-lah”).
Porto: single r is a tap; “POR-toh.”
comboio: “kõm-BOY-oo” (nasalized first vowel in EP).