Precisas de coragem para dizer “não” quando estás cansado.

You need courage to say “no” when you are tired.

Breakdown of Precisas de coragem para dizer “não” quando estás cansado.

• estar: to be
• cansado: tired
• precisar de: to need
• quando: when
• para: to
• dizer: to say
• a coragem: the courage
• não: no

Questions & Answers about Precisas de coragem para dizer “não” quando estás cansado.

Why is it precisas de coragem and not precisas coragem?

In European Portuguese, the verb precisar meaning to need almost always takes the preposition de before a noun:

• Precisar de + noun → Precisas de coragem = You need courage.

Without de (precisas coragem) is incorrect in standard Portuguese.
So you say:

• Preciso de dinheiro. – I need money.
• Eles precisam de ajuda. – They need help.

Who is the subject of precisas if there is no pronoun tu?

The subject is tu (informal singular you in Portugal).
Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person:

• (Tu) precisas – you (singular, informal) need
• (Tu) estás – you are

If you include the pronoun, it’s just more explicit:

• Tu precisas de coragem para dizer “não” quando estás cansado.

How is precisar conjugated here, and what tense is it?

Both precisas and estás are in the present indicative, 2nd person singular (tu):

• precisar (to need):

  • eu preciso
  • tu precisas
  • ele/ela/você precisa

• estar (to be – temporary state):

  • eu estou
  • tu estás
  • ele/ela/você está

So the sentence literally means You (tu) need courage … when you (tu) are tired.

Why is estás written with an accent?

The accent in estás marks both the stressed syllable and distinguishes it from estas (these).

• estás – you are (from estar)
• estas – these (feminine plural demonstrative, from esta)

Without the accent, estas would be read differently and mean something else.

Why is it de coragem and not da coragem?

De coragem uses the bare preposition de plus a non‑specific noun:

• de coragem – (of) courage, courage in general

Da coragem is de + a coragem (of the courage), which makes it definite and specific, like referring to a particular courage already mentioned. Here the idea is general, so de coragem is correct.

Why is para used before dizer? Could it be por dizer?

Para + infinitive often expresses purpose or goal:

• Precisas de coragem para dizer “não”. – You need courage to say “no” (so that you can say it).

Por + infinitive usually expresses reason/cause or something like “by/through doing”, which would change the meaning:

• Por dizer “não” – because of saying “no” / by saying “no”

So para dizer is the natural choice for to say (in order to say).

Why is it para dizer and not para dizeres?

Both are possible in European Portuguese:

• Precisas de coragem para dizer “não”.
• Precisas de coragem para dizeres “não”.

Para dizer is a non‑personal infinitive and can sound a bit more general/neutral.
Para dizeres is the personal infinitive, making the subject explicit (tu: you). It can feel a bit more colloquial or more strongly tied to you specifically, but in practice both are very common and natural here.

Why is não in quotation marks here? Is that necessary?

The quotation marks show that não is being mentioned as a word you say, not used as a normal negation in the sentence.

• dizer “não” – to say the word “no”

You can write it without quotation marks, especially in informal text:

• Precisas de coragem para dizer não quando estás cansado.

The meaning stays the same; the quotes just highlight it as the literal word.

Where does não normally go in a Portuguese sentence?

As a normal negation, não comes before the verb:

• Não estou cansado. – I’m not tired.
• Não preciso de coragem. – I don’t need courage.

In your sentence, não is not negating the verb; it’s the actual word you say. That’s why it stands alone after dizer: dizer não = to say no.

Why is it cansado and not cansada?

Cansado agrees in gender and number with the subject.

• If the person referred to is male (or grammatically masculine), you say cansado.

• If the person is female, you change it to cansada:

  • Precisas de coragem para dizer “não” quando estás cansada. – said to a woman.

For a mixed or unknown group, you’d usually default to the masculine plural: cansados.

Could it also be quando estiveres cansado instead of quando estás cansado?

Yes, but the nuance changes:

• quando estás cansado – when you are tired (general, habitual situation; “whenever you’re tired”)
• quando estiveres cansado – when you are (will be) tired (more future / hypothetical, often used in instructions or conditions)

In a general rule about life, quando estás cansado is the more natural choice.

How would this sentence typically look in Brazilian Portuguese?

A very natural Brazilian version (using você) would be:

• Você precisa de coragem para dizer “não” quando está cansado.

Key differences:

• você precisa / você está instead of (tu) precisas / (tu) estás
• Same structure with de coragem and para dizer “não”.

Many Brazilians would also omit de before an infinitive (precisa fazer), but with a noun like coragem, precisar de coragem is standard.

I’ve also seen É preciso coragem para dizer “não”. Is that the same meaning?

Yes, it’s very close in meaning:

• Precisas de coragem para dizer “não”. – You need courage to say “no.”
• É preciso coragem para dizer “não”. – It takes/One needs courage to say “no.”

É preciso coragem… is an impersonal way of speaking (like English “It takes courage…”), while Precisas de coragem… speaks directly to you.