Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O Pedro insiste em estudar português todos os dias. - Pedro insists on studying Portuguese every day.

So O Pedro insiste... is perfectly standard in Portugal. In English we simply say Pedro insists..., without an article, but in Portuguese the article is part of everyday speech in many regions.

Can I also say just Pedro insiste em estudar português todos os dias, without the o?

Yes. Both are grammatically correct:

O Pedro insiste em estudar português todos os dias.
Pedro insiste em estudar português todos os dias.

Differences:

In Portugal, using the article (o Pedro) is very common in informal and semi‑formal speech.
Dropping it (Pedro insiste...) can sound a bit more formal, written, or neutral, but it’s still perfectly natural.

So you’ll hear and see both. If you copy real-life speech in Portugal, you’ll probably include the article quite often.

Why is it insiste em and not just insiste or something like insiste a estudar?

In Portuguese, many verbs require specific prepositions, and they are often different from English.

The verb insistir (to insist) normally takes em before another verb or a noun:

insistir em fazer alguma coisa = to insist on doing something
insistir em ajuda = to insist on help

So:

insiste em estudar = insists on studying

Using a (insiste a estudar) is wrong in standard Portuguese. The correct pattern is:

insistir em + infinitive
insistir em + que + verb (subjunctive)

Why is it estudar and not estuda?

Estudar is in the infinitive form because it comes after a preposition (em).

In Portuguese, after any preposition (em, de, para, sem, por, etc.), you must use the infinitive, not a conjugated form:

em estudar (on studying)
sem comer (without eating)
para descansar (to rest)

So:

insiste em estudar ✅
insiste em estuda ❌

This is a big difference from English, where you say “insists on studying”, but Portuguese literally says “insists on study” (with the infinitive).

Could I say something like O Pedro insiste que estuda português todos os dias instead?

Not like that. With insistir, the usual options are:

insistir em + infinitive
- O Pedro insiste em estudar português todos os dias.
  (Pedro insists on studying Portuguese every day.)
insistir em que + subjunctive (usually when you insist that someone else do something)
- O Pedro insiste em que eu estude português todos os dias.
  (Pedro insists that I study Portuguese every day.)

If the subject is the same (Pedro is the one studying), Portuguese strongly prefers the infinitive construction (insistir em estudar), not insistir em que ele estude in everyday usage.

What tense is insiste here, and why is it used for a repeated action?

Insiste is the third-person singular present indicative of insistir.

In European Portuguese, the simple present is used very often for:

habits and routines
- Ele estuda português todos os dias. = He studies Portuguese every day.
general truths
things that happen regularly

So O Pedro insiste em estudar português todos os dias means this is his ongoing habit or typical behaviour, just like English “Pedro insists on studying Portuguese every day.”

Why is português not capitalised? In English we write Portuguese with a capital P.

In Portuguese, names of languages are not capitalised (unless they start a sentence):

português = Portuguese (language)
inglês = English (language)
francês = French (language)

So:

Ele estuda português. ✅
Ele estuda Português. ❌ (wrong in normal Portuguese spelling)

Also note the accent:

português has an acute accent on ê.

Why is it português and not portuguesa here?

Because in this sentence português refers to the language, and the noun o português (the Portuguese language) is masculine.

Forms:

o português = Portuguese (language)
um homem português = a Portuguese man
uma mulher portuguesa = a Portuguese woman

So:

estudar português = to study Portuguese (the language, masculine)
uma professora portuguesa = a Portuguese (female) teacher

What does todos os dias literally mean, and is that the normal way to say every day?

Todos os dias literally means all the days, but it’s the standard way to say every day.

Other options:

todos os dias – most common, neutral
diariamente – more formal, like “daily”
todos os santos dias – informal/colloquial, a bit stronger emotionally, like “every single day”

In normal speech, todos os dias is the default choice, and that’s why it appears in the sentence.

Can todos os dias go in a different place in the sentence?

Yes, there is some flexibility. All of these are possible (with small differences in emphasis):

O Pedro insiste em estudar português todos os dias.
O Pedro insiste em estudar português, todos os dias. (comma adds a slight pause/emphasis)
O Pedro insiste todos os dias em estudar português. (emphasises how often he insists)

The most natural and neutral version is still the original:

O Pedro insiste em estudar português todos os dias.

How would I say Pedro insists that I study Portuguese every day?

You need insistir em que + subjunctive, because you’re insisting that someone else do something:

O Pedro insiste em que eu estude português todos os dias.

Breakdown:

insiste em que = insists that
eu estude = subjunctive of estudar (first person singular)
português todos os dias = Portuguese every day

Is the use of o Pedro before the name the same in Brazil?

No, there’s a regional difference:

In Portugal, using the article with first names (o Pedro, a Ana) is very common in speech.
In Brazil, the article before first names is less common and often sounds regional or informal. Brazilians more often say just Pedro, Ana without o/a.

Since your sentence is European Portuguese, O Pedro insiste... sounds completely natural.

How is insiste em pronounced in European Portuguese? Is there any linking?

In European Portuguese, insiste em is typically linked together in speech.

Roughly:

insiste → [ĩˈsiʃ.tɨ]
em → [ẽ]

Spoken together:

insiste em ≈ [ĩˈsiʃ.tẽ] (the final vowel of insiste is very reduced, and em is nasal)

So you don’t normally pronounce a clear pause between insiste and em; they flow as one unit.