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No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso.

No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso.
In winter, I wear a thick coat.

Breakdown of No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso.

eu
I
um
a
em
in
o casaco
the coat
o inverno
the winter
grosso
thick
vestir
to wear
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Questions & Answers about No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso.

Why is it No inverno and not Em inverno?

No is the contraction of em + o (in + the).

  • em + o = no
  • em + a = na
  • em + os = nos
  • em + as = nas

With seasons, Portuguese normally uses em + definite article, so:

  • no inverno = in the winter
  • no verão = in the summer

Using em inverno (without the article) is unusual and sounds wrong in this context. The article is standard with seasons in European Portuguese.

Do we always need the article with seasons, like no inverno?

In European Portuguese, yes, you almost always use the definite article with seasons:

  • no inverno (in the winter)
  • na primavera (in the spring)
  • no verão (in the summer)
  • no outono (in the autumn/fall)

Dropping the article (em inverno) is not natural in normal speech. There are rare, more literary or fixed-expression cases where you might see the season without an article, but the safe, normal choice is no / na + season.

Why is there a comma after No inverno? Is it required?

No inverno is an adverbial expression of time placed at the beginning of the sentence. In Portuguese, it is common (and stylistically preferred) to separate such initial time expressions with a comma:

  • No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso.

You can sometimes omit the comma in short sentences, and many native speakers do in informal writing:

  • No inverno eu visto um casaco grosso.

So the comma is stylistically correct and common, but not absolutely mandatory in casual writing.

Could I say Eu visto um casaco grosso no inverno instead?

Yes. That is completely correct and very natural:

  • Eu visto um casaco grosso no inverno.

Portuguese word order is quite flexible for adverbials like time expressions. Both are fine:

  • No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso.
  • Eu visto um casaco grosso no inverno.

The meaning is the same. Putting No inverno first just emphasizes the time more.

Do I have to say eu? Could I just say Visto um casaco grosso?

You can drop eu:

  • (Eu) visto um casaco grosso.

In Portuguese, the verb ending -o already shows that the subject is eu (I), so the subject pronoun is often omitted.

You normally use eu when you want to:

  • Contrast with another person:
    • Eu visto um casaco grosso, mas tu não.
  • Add emphasis or clarity in speech.

Here, both versions are grammatically correct:

  • Eu visto um casaco grosso.
  • Visto um casaco grosso.
Why is it visto and not something like veste or vesto?

The verb is vestir (to dress / to put on clothes). In the present tense:

  • eu visto (I put on / I wear)
  • tu vestes
  • ele/ela veste
  • nós vestimos
  • vocês / eles / elas vestem

So visto is the 1st person singular (eu) form.

There is no form vesto in standard Portuguese, and veste is the form for ele/ela or você, not eu.

What is the difference between vestir, vestir-se, and usar?

  • vestir algo = to put on / wear a piece of clothing

    • Eu visto um casaco. = I put on / wear a coat.

  • vestir-se = to get dressed (oneself)

    • Eu visto-me. = I get dressed.
    • Eu visto-me rapidamente. = I get dressed quickly.

  • usar = to use / to wear (more generic)

    • Eu uso óculos. = I wear glasses.
    • Eu uso um casaco grosso no inverno. = I wear a thick coat in winter.

In this sentence, vestir focuses on the act or habit of putting on / wearing that specific item of clothing. Usar would also be correct, just a bit more neutral.

Does Eu visto um casaco grosso mean I am doing it right now or that I usually do it?

Portuguese present simple covers both:

  1. Habitual / general truth (most likely here):

    • No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso.
      = In winter, I (usually) wear a thick coat.

  2. Right now, in a narrative or immediate context:

    • Agora eu visto um casaco grosso.
      = Right now I am putting on a thick coat.

English often uses the present continuous (“I am wearing / I am putting on”) where Portuguese uses the simple present. Context tells you which is meant.

What exactly does casaco mean in European Portuguese? Coat or jacket?

In European Portuguese, casaco is a general word for an outer garment you wear over other clothes, usually with sleeves:

  • It can be a coat, jacket, parka, blazer, etc.

Context or extra words specify the type:

  • casaco de lã = wool coat/jacket
  • casaco de inverno = winter coat
  • casaco de ganga = denim jacket

In Brazil, casaco can sometimes sound more like sweater / cardigan, and jaqueta is used more for “jacket”, but in Portugal casaco is the usual general term for a coat/jacket.

Why is it um casaco and not o casaco?
  • um casaco = a coat / some coat or other (indefinite)
  • o casaco = the coat (a specific one, known to speaker and listener)

Here, the sentence describes a general habit in winter, not one specific, identified coat, so um casaco grosso sounds more natural:

  • No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso.
    = In winter I wear a thick coat (not specifying which one).

If you were talking about a particular coat, you would say:

  • No inverno, eu visto o meu casaco grosso.
    = In winter I wear my thick coat.
Why is the adjective after the noun: casaco grosso and not grosso casaco?

In Portuguese, the default position for adjectives is after the noun:

  • um casaco grosso = a thick coat
  • uma casa grande = a big house
  • um carro novo = a new car

Putting the adjective before the noun is possible but it usually:

  • Sounds more literary or expressive, or
  • Changes or nuances the meaning.

Um grosso casaco is possible but sounds poetic/marked; everyday speech uses um casaco grosso.

Does grosso mean “thick” or “fat”? And is it the best word here?

grosso can mean:

  • thick (of material, layer, volume):

    • um casaco grosso = a thick coat
    • um livro grosso = a thick book

  • coarse / rough (texture or behavior, figuratively):

    • sal grosso = coarse salt
    • Ele foi grosso comigo. = He was rude to me.

Here, um casaco grosso is perfectly natural: it means a coat made of thick material, suitable for cold weather.

You could also say:

  • um casaco quente = a warm coat
  • um casaco muito grosso = a very thick coat

But casaco grosso on its own is very idiomatic and common.

Why is inverno not capitalized?

In Portuguese, names of seasons are not capitalized, unlike in English:

  • no inverno = in winter
  • no verão = in summer
  • na primavera = in spring

The N in No is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence, not because of the season name.

So you write:

  • O inverno é frio em Portugal.
    (Inverno would be lowercase if it were not the first word.)
How do you pronounce No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso in European Portuguese?

Approximate IPA (European Portuguese):

  • No inverno, eu visto um casaco grosso.
    /nu ĩˈvɛɾnu, ew ˈviʃtu ũ kaˈzaku ˈɡɾosu/

Key points:

  • no: sounds like “nu” (close to English “new” without the y-glide).
  • inverno: stress on -ver-: ĩ-vɛɾ-nu. The n makes the i nasal.
  • visto: vish-tu (the s between vowels or before voiceless consonants often sounds like English “sh” in European Portuguese).
  • um: nasal “ũ”, like French un but with u quality.
  • casaco: ka-za-ku (stress in the middle).
  • grosso: ɡɾo-su (stress on gro-).

Listening to native audio and repeating is very helpful to get the nasal vowels and the European “sh” sound in visto.