Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O Pedro era tímido na escola, mas agora tem mais confiança. - Pedro used to be shy at school, but now he has more confidence.

era = imperfect tense → a continuous, habitual, or long‑lasting state in the past.
- O Pedro era tímido na escola = Pedro used to be / was generally shy at school (over a long period).
foi = preterite (simple past) → a completed event or state, seen as a whole.
- O Pedro foi tímido na escola sounds strange here; it would suggest his shyness is like a finished, bounded event, which isn’t how we normally talk about personality traits in the past.

So era tímido is the natural choice for describing a past characteristic that lasted over a whole period (his school years).

Why do we say O Pedro and not just Pedro?

In European Portuguese, it’s very common to use the definite article (o / a / os / as) before people’s first names:

O Pedro, a Maria, o João, a Ana, etc.

This does not change the meaning; it still just refers to Pedro. It often sounds more natural and colloquial in European Portuguese, especially in speech.

So:

Pedro era tímido na escola… → correct, but feels a bit more “bare” or formal in some contexts.
O Pedro era tímido na escola… → very typical in everyday European Portuguese.

(In Brazilian Portuguese, using the article before names is more regional and less universal.)

Why tímido and not tímida? How does gender agreement work here?

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

Pedro is a male name → masculine singular.
So the adjective must also be masculine singular: tímido.

Other forms would be:

masculine singular: tímido (for o Pedro, o rapaz, etc.)
feminine singular: tímida (for a Maria, a rapariga, etc.)
masculine plural: tímidos
feminine plural: tímidas

Example:

A Maria era tímida na escola. → Maria was shy at school.

What exactly is na in na escola?

Na is a contraction of the preposition and the definite article:

em (in/at) + a (the, feminine singular) → na

So:

em a escola → na escola = at school / in school

Similarly:

em + o → no
em + as → nas
em + os → nos

Examples:

no carro = em + o carro → in the car
nas lojas = em + as lojas → in the shops

Why is it na escola and not à escola?

Em (→ na, no, etc.) usually means in / at / on, indicating location:

O Pedro era tímido na escola. → He was shy at school (while he was there as a student / during that period).

A (→ à, ao, etc.) usually means to, indicating movement / direction:

O Pedro ia à escola todos os dias. → Pedro went to school every day.

Here we’re talking about where he was shy (his environment), not where he was going, so na escola is the right choice.

Why can you just say mas agora tem mais confiança without repeating o Pedro?

Portuguese is a “null subject” or pro‑drop language: you can normally omit the subject when it’s clear from context or from the verb form.

In this sentence:

The subject O Pedro is already mentioned at the beginning.
The verb tem (3rd person singular) clearly matches ele / o Pedro.

So you don’t need to repeat:

O Pedro era tímido na escola, mas agora tem mais confiança.
= Pedro was shy at school, but now (he) has more confidence.

You could repeat it:

… mas agora o Pedro tem mais confiança.

That’s also correct, but a bit heavier stylistically. Omitting it is smoother and very natural.

Why is it tem mais confiança and not é mais confiante?

Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different things:

tem mais confiança
- literally: has more confidence
- focuses on possessing confidence as a quality or resource, often compared to before.
- Strong idea of “more than before / more than others”.
é mais confiante
- literally: is more confident
- focuses on his current personality or attitude.

In context:

… mas agora tem mais confiança.
→ He has more confidence now (than he used to). This highlights the increase over time.
… mas agora é mais confiante.
→ He is more confident now, also okay; a bit more like a trait description.

The original sentence very naturally contrasts past state vs. current level of confidence, so tem mais confiança fits nicely.

What is the nuance of mas agora? Could you also say mas hoje em dia?

Yes, you could say mas hoje em dia, but the nuance changes slightly:

mas agora
- literally: but now
- contrast is focused on the present moment.
- Very direct: past (at school) vs now.
mas hoje em dia
- literally: but nowadays / these days
- suggests a broader present period, not just this exact moment.
- Feels a bit more general or reflective.

Both are grammatically correct:

O Pedro era tímido na escola, mas agora tem mais confiança.
O Pedro era tímido na escola, mas hoje em dia tem mais confiança.

The first feels a little shorter and more conversational.

Could you say estava tímido na escola instead of era tímido na escola?

You can use estava tímido, but the meaning changes:

era tímido
- long‑term characteristic, trait
- He was (by nature) shy at school.
estava tímido
- temporary state or particular occasion(s)
- He was feeling shy (on that occasion / that day) at school.

So:

O Pedro era tímido na escola.
→ Throughout his school life, he was generally a shy person.
O Pedro estava tímido na escola ontem.
→ Yesterday at school, he was shy (maybe just then, not as a general rule).

In the original sentence, we clearly mean a past personality trait, so era is the right verb.

Is the comma before mas necessary in …, mas agora tem mais confiança?

Yes, placing a comma before mas is standard and recommended in Portuguese when it introduces a contrast clause, like English “but”:

O Pedro era tímido na escola, mas agora tem mais confiança.

You’ll usually see mas preceded by a comma when it contrasts with what came before, unless the sentence is very short. Here, the comma is natural and correct.