Eu bebo café ao pequeno‑almoço.

I drink coffee at breakfast.

Breakdown of Eu bebo café ao pequeno‑almoço.

• eu: I
• o café: the coffee
• beber: to drink
• ao: at
• o pequeno‑almoço: the breakfast

Questions & Answers about Eu bebo café ao pequeno‑almoço.

Do I have to say Eu, or can I drop it?

Portuguese is a pro‑drop language, so you can omit the subject pronoun when the verb form makes it clear. Both are correct:

• Eu bebo café ao pequeno‑almoço.
• Bebo café ao pequeno‑almoço. Use Eu mainly for emphasis or contrast (e.g., Eu bebo, ele não).

What does ao mean here, and why use it instead of no or para o?

• ao = a + o (to/at + the). With meals, ao often means “at/for (the meal)” when listing what you consume: bebo café ao pequeno‑almoço.
• no = em + o (in/at + the). It means “during/at” and is more about the time/setting: Falámos no pequeno‑almoço (We talked at breakfast). Using no to list food is possible but less idiomatic than ao.
• para o (for the) is for purpose/planning: Para o pequeno‑almoço de amanhã, vou fazer panquecas (For tomorrow’s breakfast, I’m going to make pancakes).

Why is pequeno‑almoço hyphenated?

It’s a fixed compound noun in European Portuguese and is written with a hyphen: pequeno‑almoço (“small lunch” → breakfast). The hyphen is standard after the Orthographic Agreement. In Brazil, the usual term is café da manhã.

Is beber regular? What are the present‑tense forms?

Yes, beber is a regular ‑er verb.

• eu bebo
• tu bebes
• ele/ela/você bebe
• nós bebemos
• eles/elas/vocês bebem Subject pronouns are often dropped.

Does the present tense here mean a habit? How do I say “I’m drinking (right now)”?

Eu bebo usually expresses a habit/general truth. For an action happening now in European Portuguese, use the progressive: Estou a beber café ao pequeno‑almoço (agora).
(Brazilian Portuguese uses estou bebendo.)

Do I need an article before café? When do I say um café or o café?

• Bebo café: no article for an indefinite, mass sense (I drink coffee in general).
• Bebo um café: one coffee (in Portugal, typically an espresso).
• Bebo o café: a specific coffee already known in the context.

How do I pronounce the whole sentence in European Portuguese?

Approximate IPA: [ˈbe.bu kɐˈfɛ aw pɨˈke.nu aɫˈmo.su]
Tips:

• eu ≈ “ehw”
• bebo stress on first syllable: BE‑bo
• café stress on the last syllable: ca‑FÉ
• ao sounds like “ow” in “cow”
• pequeno the first e is a reduced sound
• almoço has a “dark L” [ɫ] and ç is an S sound

Can I use tomo instead of bebo?

Yes. Tomar is commonly used for “having” food or meals:

• Eu tomo café ao pequeno‑almoço. (I have coffee for breakfast.)
• Eu tomo o pequeno‑almoço. (I have breakfast.) Beber focuses on drinking; tomar is broader.

Can I move the meal phrase to the front?

Yes, for emphasis or topic setting:

• Ao pequeno‑almoço, bebo café. Punctuation helps mark the emphasis in writing; in speech, intonation does the job.

How do I make it negative or ask a question?

• Negative: put não before the verb: Não bebo café ao pequeno‑almoço.
• Yes/no questions: keep the order and use rising intonation: Bebes café ao pequeno‑almoço?
  You can also add É que for emphasis/clarity: É que bebes café ao pequeno‑almoço?

Why is it ao (with o) and not à (with a grave accent)?

Because pequeno‑almoço is masculine.

• ao = a + o (masc. singular)
• à = a + a (fem. singular)
• Plurals: aos (masc.), às (fem.)

Is there a simpler time expression I can use instead of mentioning breakfast?

Yes. To speak generally about mornings, you can say:

• De manhã, bebo café. (In the morning, I drink coffee.) This doesn’t specifically tie it to the breakfast meal, just the time of day.

Anything else I should know about café in Portugal?

In Portugal, um café at a café/bar almost always means a shot of espresso. If you want something different, specify (e.g., uma meia de leite for a latte‑like drink, um galão for a tall milkier coffee).