Nós vamos arrendar um apartamento no segundo piso.

We are going to rent an apartment on the second floor.

Breakdown of Nós vamos arrendar um apartamento no segundo piso.

• um: a
• ir: to go
• nós: we
• em: on
• segundo: second
• o piso: the floor
• o apartamento: the apartment
• arrendar: to rent

Questions & Answers about Nós vamos arrendar um apartamento no segundo piso.

Can I omit Nós? Are both Nós vamos arrendar... and Vamos arrendar... correct?

Yes. Subject pronouns are often dropped in European Portuguese because the verb ending shows the subject. Both are correct:

• Nós vamos arrendar um apartamento no segundo piso. (emphasis/clarity)
• Vamos arrendar um apartamento no segundo piso. (very natural) You may also hear A gente vai arrendar... in Portugal (more informal; verb in 3rd singular: vai, not vamos).

What tense is vamos arrendar? Is it different from arrendaremos?

Vamos arrendar is the periphrastic future (present of ir + infinitive), equivalent to English “we’re going to rent.” Arrendaremos is the synthetic future (“we will rent”). In everyday European Portuguese, ir + infinitive is more common; arrendaremos sounds more formal or written.

What’s the difference between arrendar and alugar in Portugal?

• In Portugal, arrendar is the standard word for renting real estate (flats, houses), especially in legal/official contexts (contrato de arrendamento).
• Alugar is also used in speech for property, but is more typical for renting things like cars or equipment (alugar um carro).
• In Brazil, people mostly say alugar for property; arrendar is rarer and often refers to land/farms.

Does arrendar mean I’m the tenant or the landlord?

It can be either, depending on context. As a tenant: Vou arrendar um apartamento (I’m going to rent). As a landlord: Vou arrendar o meu apartamento (I’m going to let/lease it out). If needed, clarify with a alguém (to someone) or a partir de (from [date]), or say dar de arrendamento to stress the landlord side.

Why is it no segundo piso and not em o segundo piso?

No is the contraction of em + o (“in/on the,” masculine singular). Other forms:

• na = em + a (feminine singular)
• nos = em + os (masculine plural)
• nas = em + as (feminine plural) With an indefinite article, em + um/uma becomes num/numa.

Is piso the same as andar here?

Yes, for building levels they’re near-synonyms. In everyday speech, andar is extremely common (no segundo andar). On signs, you’ll often see Piso 0, Piso 1, etc. Note that andar is also a verb meaning “to walk/go around.”

How are floors numbered in Portugal? Does segundo piso match UK or US usage?

Portugal counts like the UK:

• R/C (rés do chão) = ground floor
• 1.º andar = first floor above ground (UK “1st floor”, US “2nd floor”)
• 2.º andar/piso = second floor above ground (UK “2nd floor”, US “3rd floor”) So no segundo piso corresponds to UK “on the second floor,” US “on the third floor.”

Why is it segundo (and not segunda)?

Ordinal adjectives agree with the noun’s gender/number. Piso is masculine singular, so segundo. With a feminine noun, you’d use segunda (e.g., na segunda semana).

How do I abbreviate “second” for floors?

Use the ordinal indicator with a dot: 2.º piso/andar (masculine). For feminine nouns: 2.ª (e.g., 2.ª fila). In plain typing you’ll also see 2º / 2ª.

Why is it um apartamento and not o apartamento?

Um is the indefinite article (“an”), used when the apartment is not yet specific/identified. Use o apartamento (“the apartment”) once a specific one is known or previously mentioned.

How do I pronounce the sentence in European Portuguese?

Approximate EP pronunciation: [nɔʃ ˈvɐ.muʃ ɐʁẽˈdaɾ ũ ɐpɐɾtɐˈmẽtu nu sɨˈɡũdu ˈpizu] Quick tips:

• Nós = “nawsh” (final s ≈ “sh”)
• vamos = “VUH-moosh”
• arrendar: the rr is a guttural sound (like French/Arabic r), -dar with a soft final r
• apartamento: final -o sounds like “oo”
• segundo: “suh-GOON-doo”
• piso: “PEE-zoo” (s between vowels = “z”)
• no: “nu”

Could I put the place earlier, like No segundo piso, vamos arrendar um apartamento?

Yes. Portuguese allows some flexibility. Placing No segundo piso first adds topic/emphasis on the location; the default, most neutral order is to keep it at the end.

Does em here mean “in,” “on,” or “at”?

Em can map to any of those depending on context. With floors, English uses “on,” but Portuguese uses em: no segundo piso/andar = “on the second floor.”

What’s the difference between Nós and nos?

• Nós (with an acute accent) = “we” (subject pronoun).
• nos (no accent) can be:
  • the clitic pronoun “us” (e.g., ajuda-nos = “help us”),
  • or the contraction em + os (“in/on the,” masculine plural), as in nos apartamentos (“in the apartments”).

Could I say Estamos a arrendar um apartamento... instead of Vamos arrendar...?

Yes, but it changes the meaning. Estamos a arrendar is the present progressive (“we are renting [right now/in progress]”). Vamos arrendar is a plan or near future (“we’re going to rent”).