Breakdown of Eu estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
Questions & Answers about Eu estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
Can I leave out Eu and just say Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame?
Yes. In European Portuguese the subject pronoun is usually dropped when the verb ending already shows the person.
- Eu estou satisfeito... = Estou satisfeito...
Both are correct. Eu adds a bit of emphasis on I (e.g. contrasting with someone else), but in everyday speech you’d very often just hear Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
Why is it estou and not sou? What’s the difference between ser and estar here?
Ser is used for permanent or defining characteristics; estar is used for temporary states, situations, or feelings.
Being satisfied with a grade is a current emotional state, not a permanent trait, so you say:
- Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
Using sou satisfeito would sound odd; it would suggest something like I am a satisfied person (by nature), which is not what you mean here.
I’m a woman. Do I have to change satisfeito?
Yes. Satisfeito agrees in gender and number with the subject.
- Man: Eu estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
- Woman: Eu estou satisfeita com a nota no exame.
- Group of men / mixed group: Nós estamos satisfeitos...
- Group of women: Nós estamos satisfeitas...
So if you’re female, you should say satisfeita.
Could I say contente or feliz instead of satisfeito? Is there a difference?
You can, and all are common, but there are small nuances:
satisfeito: focused on your expectations being met. Very natural with grades, results, services, etc.
- Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
contente: generally “pleased / glad”, often a bit lighter, everyday tone.
- Estou contente com a nota no exame.
feliz: “happy”, often stronger or more emotional.
- Estou feliz com a nota no exame.
All three work here. Satisfeito sounds particularly natural when talking about performance or results.
Why is it com a nota? Could I use de or por instead of com?
In this structure, Portuguese normally uses estar satisfeito com + thing.
- Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
Using de or por with a noun here would sound wrong or very unusual in European Portuguese.
You do see por when it’s followed by a verb in the infinitive:
- Estou satisfeito por ter passado ao exame.
(I’m satisfied for having passed the exam.)
But with a plain noun (a nota), stick to com.
What exactly is no in no exame?
No is a contraction of em + o (in + the):
- em + o exame → no exame = “in the exam / on the exam”.
Similarly:
- em + a prova → na prova
- em + os exames → nos exames
- em + as provas → nas provas
So no exame literally means “in the exam / on the exam”.
Could I say a nota do exame instead of a nota no exame? Is there a difference?
Both a nota no exame and a nota do exame are grammatically correct, and in everyday speech they often overlap.
- a nota no exame
- Literally: the grade in the exam
- Focuses a bit more on the grade you got in that specific sitting / context.
- a nota do exame
- Literally: the grade of the exam
- Sounds slightly more like the grade that belongs to that exam.
In practice, for most contexts people will understand both as the grade I got in that exam. In European Portuguese, a nota no exame is very natural and common.
Can I say Estou satisfeito com nota no exame, without a before nota?
No, in this sentence you need the definite article:
- Correct: Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame.
- Incorrect: *Estou satisfeito com nota no exame.
In Portuguese, nouns usually need an article (or another determiner) in cases like this. A nota refers to your specific known grade.
The form estou satisfeito looks like a continuous tense (like “I am satisfying”). Is that what it is?
No. Here satisfeito is an adjective (originally a past participle of satisfazer), and estar + adjective describes a state:
- Estou satisfeito. = I am satisfied. (state)
The Portuguese continuous form is usually estar a + infinitive in European Portuguese:
- Estou a estudar. = I am studying.
So:
- Estou satisfeito → state (adjective)
- Estou a satisfazer → continuous action I am satisfying (someone/something)
They look similar but are different structures.
Is exame the only word for “exam”? What about teste or prova?
In European Portuguese:
- exame: formal exam, especially school/university or official exams. Very natural here.
- teste: test, usually smaller or less formal than exame (classroom tests, quizzes, etc.).
- prova: can mean exam, test, or trial, but in the school context exame and teste are more common in Portugal.
Your sentence with a class test could be:
- Estou satisfeito com a nota no teste.
But for big official exams, exame is the standard word.
Can I change the word order, like Com a nota no exame, estou satisfeito?
Yes, Portuguese allows some flexibility in word order. These are all possible (with slight differences in emphasis):
- Estou satisfeito com a nota no exame. (neutral, most common)
- Eu estou satisfeito com a nota no exame. (emphasis on I)
- Com a nota no exame, estou satisfeito. (emphasis on the grade; sounds a bit more formal or stylistic)
All are grammatically correct; the first one is the default everyday version.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning PortugueseMaster Portuguese — from Eu estou satisfeito com a nota no exame to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions