Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu espero à frente da casa do Pedro.

to wait: Eu espero à frente da casa do Pedro. = I wait / I’m waiting in front of Pedro’s house.
to hope: Eu espero que ele venha. = I hope he comes.

A good rule: when esperar is followed by que and a clause (espero que…), it usually means “to hope”; when it’s followed by a place or a person, it usually means “to wait (for)”.

Why is there a grave accent on à in à frente? Why not just a frente?

The à in à frente is a contraction of a (preposition to / at) + a (feminine singular article the) before frente:

a (to/at) + a frente (the front) → à frente

The grave accent (à) marks this contraction (called crase in Portuguese).
A quick test: if you can expand it to a a frente, then you must write à frente. You should not write á frente here; that form is incorrect.

What exactly is the difference between à frente de and em frente de?

In traditional grammar, they have slightly different nuances:

em frente de = directly opposite / facing something
- Estou em frente da casa do Pedro. = I’m directly in front of Pedro’s house, facing it.
à frente de = ahead of / further forward than something
- O carro está à frente da casa do Pedro. = The car is ahead of Pedro’s house (a bit further along the street).

In everyday European Portuguese, many people use à frente de and em frente de almost interchangeably, but if you want to be very precise, use em frente de for “right in front of, facing” the house.

Can I also say na frente da casa do Pedro? Does it mean the same as à frente da casa do Pedro?

You can say na frente da casa do Pedro, but the nuance can change:

na frente da casa literally = in the front part/area of the house (front yard, front side, front room, etc.).
em frente da casa tends to mean outside, directly in front of the house, on the street or pavement.

In many real-life contexts, people will use na frente da casa to mean “in front of the house” and be understood. If you want to be very clear that you are outside, facing it, em frente da casa do Pedro is the safest choice.

Why is it da casa and not de a casa?

Da is simply the contracted form of de + a:

de (of/from) + a casa (the house) → da casa

Portuguese almost always contracts these combinations in writing and speech:

de + o → do
de + a → da
de + os → dos
de + as → das

So da casa literally means “of the house / from the house”, and de a casa is not used.

Why is it do Pedro and not de Pedro or de o Pedro?

Again, do is the contraction de + o:

de (of) + o (the) + Pedro → do Pedro

In European Portuguese, using the article with personal names is very common in speech, especially with familiar people:

a casa do Pedro ≈ Pedro’s house
o carro da Ana ≈ Ana’s car

De Pedro (without the article) sounds more formal or literary and is less typical in everyday speech in Portugal when you mean possession.
De o Pedro is simply not used; it must contract to do Pedro.

Why is frente feminine here, leading to à frente da?

Frente is a feminine noun in Portuguese, so its article is a:

a frente = the front

That’s why we get:

à frente = a (prep.) + a frente (to/at the front)
da casa = de + a casa (of the house)

So the chain is: à frente da casa = (a + a) frente (de + a) casa. The gender of frente is what forces a / da rather than o / do.

Do I really need to say Eu? Can I just say Espero à frente da casa do Pedro?

You can absolutely drop Eu and say Espero à frente da casa do Pedro.

Portuguese is a pro-drop language: the verb ending (-o in espero) already shows that the subject is eu.
You usually include eu:

for emphasis or contrast: Eu espero à frente da casa do Pedro, tu esperas atrás.
in some formal writing or when the context might be unclear.

In normal conversation, Espero à frente da casa do Pedro. is perfectly natural.

Is Eu espero à frente da casa do Pedro the most natural way in European Portuguese to say “I’m waiting in front of Pedro’s house”?

It’s correct, but in European Portuguese a very common, slightly more natural way is to use estar à espera:

Estou à espera em frente da casa do Pedro.
Estou à espera à frente da casa do Pedro.

Eu espero… is not wrong; it just sounds a bit more like a neutral present (“I wait”) or a plan (“I’ll wait there”), whereas Estou à espera… clearly sounds like “I am waiting (right now)”.

What tense or aspect does espero express here—can it mean “I am waiting right now”?

Espero is the simple present of esperar. In Portuguese, the simple present can cover:

habitual actions: Eu espero sempre à frente da casa do Pedro. = I always wait in front of Pedro’s house.
near-future arrangements: Amanhã eu espero à frente da casa do Pedro. = Tomorrow I’ll wait in front of Pedro’s house.

For a clearly ongoing action “I am (right now) waiting”, European speakers usually prefer:

Estou à espera à frente da casa do Pedro.
or Estou a esperar à frente da casa do Pedro. (less common than estar à espera).

Can I move à frente da casa do Pedro to another position in the sentence?

Yes, Portuguese word order is quite flexible for these location phrases. All of these are possible, with small differences in emphasis:

Eu espero à frente da casa do Pedro. (neutral)
À frente da casa do Pedro, eu espero. (emphasises the place)
Eu, à frente da casa do Pedro, espero. (very marked; strong focus on the location)

In everyday speech, the original order (Eu espero à frente da casa do Pedro) or dropping Eu are the most natural.

Are there any differences in how someone in Portugal would say this compared to Brazil?

Yes, there are some tendencies:

In Portugal, very natural:
- Estou à espera em frente da casa do Pedro.
In Brazil, more natural:
- Eu estou esperando em frente à casa do Pedro.
- Eu espero na frente da casa do Pedro.

Also, in Brazil, the article before the name (do Pedro) is a bit less obligatory and more regional; you may also hear da casa de Pedro, whereas in Portugal da casa do Pedro is clearly the default in speech.