Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Nós fazemos um passeio curto ao fim da tarde para relaxar. - We take a short walk in the late afternoon to relax.

Nós fazemos um passeio curto ao fim da tarde para relaxar.

We take a short walk in the late afternoon to relax.

Breakdown of Nós fazemos um passeio curto ao fim da tarde para relaxar.

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Questions & Answers about Nós fazemos um passeio curto ao fim da tarde para relaxar.

Why does the sentence include nós? Could we just say Fazemos um passeio curto...?

In Portuguese, subject pronouns (like nós) are usually optional, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Fazemos already tells you it’s “we do/make”.
So Fazemos um passeio curto ao fim da tarde para relaxar is perfectly correct.

Including nós can:

add emphasis: we (as opposed to other people) do this;
make the subject clearer in longer or more complex sentences.

In this short sentence, nós is not necessary grammatically; it’s more a stylistic/emphasis choice.

Why is it fazemos um passeio instead of just using a single verb like passeamos?

Portuguese often uses “light verb + noun” expressions, similar to English “take a walk”, “have a look”.

fazer um passeio ≈ “to take a walk / go for a walk”
There is also the verb passear = “to walk/stroll/go for a walk”.

Possible equivalents:

Nós fazemos um passeio curto...
Nós damos um passeio curto...
Nós passeamos um bocado...

All are understandable. Subtle points:

fazer/dar um passeio feel very natural and common in everyday speech.
passear is also correct, but the noun passeio makes the idea of “a walk / an outing” more concrete, almost like talking about an activity you do.

So fazemos um passeio is idiomatic and very common.

Why is it um passeio curto and not um curto passeio?

In Portuguese, adjectives usually come after the noun:

um passeio curto = “a short walk”
um carro vermelho = “a red car”

Putting the adjective before the noun happens, but it:

is less common;
often adds a special, stylistic or emotional nuance.

So:

um passeio curto is the normal, neutral order.
um curto passeio is grammatically possible but sounds literary, emphatic, or slightly unusual in everyday speech.

For everyday European Portuguese, keep adjectives after the noun in most cases.

Why is it curto and not curta? What is it agreeing with?

Adjectives in Portuguese agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

passeio is masculine singular.
So the adjective must also be masculine singular: curto.

Compare:

um passeio curto (masc. sing.)
uma caminhada curta (fem. sing.)
dois passeios curtos (masc. plural)

So curto is masculine to match passeio.

What exactly does ao fim da tarde mean? Is it the same as “in the afternoon”?

ao fim da tarde literally means “at/towards the end of the afternoon”.

Nuance:

It suggests late afternoon / early evening, when the afternoon is coming to an end.
It’s more specific than just “in the afternoon”.

Compare:

à tarde = “in the afternoon” (general time of day)
ao fim da tarde = “towards the end of the afternoon”

So the sentence is about a walk late in the afternoon, not just any time in the afternoon.

What is ao here? How is it formed and when do we use it?

ao is a contraction of the preposition a + the masculine singular article o:

a (to/at) + o (the) → ao.

In ao fim da tarde:

ao fim = “to/at the end”
Then da tarde = “of the afternoon”.

Portuguese frequently contracts prepositions with articles:

de + o → do
em + a → na
a + os → aos, etc.

You must use the contracted form (e.g. ao, do, na) in standard Portuguese when that combination occurs.

Why is it da tarde and not de tarde?

da is de + a (“of the”), while de alone is just “of / from”.

fim da tarde = literally “end of the afternoon”.

If you said de tarde:

de tarde is more like “in the afternoon” (adverbial, indicating time).
It doesn’t fit here because we’re not just saying when; we’re describing the end of something (the afternoon), so we need “of the” → da.

So:

ao fim da tarde = “towards the end of the afternoon”
de tarde = “in the afternoon” (more general time).

Could I say no fim da tarde instead of ao fim da tarde? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say no fim da tarde, and it’s also common.

ao fim da tarde and no fim da tarde often overlap in meaning (“towards the end of the afternoon”), especially in casual speech.
no fim da tarde = em + o fim da tarde → more like “at the end of the afternoon”.
ao fim da tarde uses a (“to/at”), sometimes with a slightly more dynamic feel (“as the afternoon is drawing to a close”), but in practice the difference is very small.

In European Portuguese, both are natural; ao fim da tarde is very idiomatic.

Why is it para relaxar and not para nos relaxarmos?

Both are grammatically possible, but they’re slightly different:

para relaxar
- Uses the impersonal infinitive (“to relax”).
- Very common and natural.
- The subject (“we”) is understood from context.
para nos relaxarmos
- Uses the personal infinitive with nós form.
- Literally “for us to relax ourselves”.
- Sounds a bit more explicit or formal/structured.

In everyday European Portuguese, para relaxar is simpler and more idiomatic here. The “we” is already clear from Nós fazemos....

Why is the verb in the present (fazemos) if this is a habit? Wouldn’t a different tense be used?

In Portuguese, the present tense is used for:

Habits and routines:
- Nós fazemos um passeio curto ao fim da tarde.
  = “We (usually) take a short walk late in the afternoon.”
General truths.
Sometimes near future (depending on context).

So using fazemos in the present is the normal way to express a repeated or habitual action, just like English “We take a short walk every afternoon.”

Why is it um passeio instead of o passeio or just passeio without any article?

um is the indefinite article (“a / one”), used here because we’re talking about:

a type of activity we usually do,
not a specific, previously mentioned walk.

Compare:

Nós fazemos um passeio curto ao fim da tarde.
= We (habitually) take a short walk.
Nós fazemos o passeio curto ao fim da tarde.
= Sounds like there is a specific, known short walk (for example, the one we talked about earlier).
Nós fazemos passeio curto...
- This sounds wrong here; you generally need an article with passeio in this kind of sentence.

So um passeio is the natural choice to express a regular, non-specific walk.

Does passeio always mean a walk on foot, or can it also be by car, etc.?

passeio is broader than just “walk on foot”:

It can be on foot: a stroll in the park.
It can be by car: a passeio de carro (a drive).
It can be by bike, by boat, etc., depending on context.

Without extra words, fazer um passeio often suggests a leisurely walk, but it can also just mean “an outing” or “a trip for pleasure”. Context usually makes it clear.

Is there a more informal or alternative way to say the same idea in European Portuguese?

Yes, several natural alternatives exist, for example:

Nós damos um passeio curto ao fim da tarde para relaxar.
Nós vamos dar uma volta ao fim da tarde para relaxar.
Nós fazemos uma caminhada ao fim da tarde para relaxar.

All are fine in European Portuguese:

dar um passeio / dar uma volta are very common, informal or neutral ways to say “go for a walk / go out for a bit”.
fazer uma caminhada focuses more on walking as light exercise.