Hoje eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade.

Today I want to escape the noise of the city.

Breakdown of Hoje eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade.

• eu: I
• hoje: today
• de: of
• querer: to want
• a cidade: the city
• de: from
• o barulho: the noise
• fugir: to run away

Questions & Answers about Hoje eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade.

Why is it “fugir do barulho” and not “fugir de o barulho”?

In Portuguese, the preposition de often contracts with the definite article o / a / os / as.

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

So grammatically you could think of it as fugir de o barulho, but in real Portuguese this must contract to fugir do barulho.

Saying de o barulho without contracting sounds wrong and ungrammatical to native speakers.

What nuance does the verb “fugir” have here? Does it mean literally running away?

Literally, fugir means to flee / to run away / to escape (e.g. fugir da prisão – to escape from prison).

In this sentence, fugir do barulho da cidade is metaphorical and means:

• to get away from,
• to escape,
• to avoid the city noise.

It suggests a stronger feeling than just “avoid”: usually a sense of wanting peace, rest, or relief. So it’s more emotional than a neutral “avoid the noise”.

Could I say “Hoje quero fugir do barulho da cidade” without “eu”?

Yes.

Portuguese is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns (eu, tu, ele, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending shows who the subject is.

All of these are correct:

• Hoje eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade.
• Hoje quero fugir do barulho da cidade.

The version without “eu” is very natural in European Portuguese, especially in speech, and does not sound incomplete.

Can the position of “hoje” change? For example, can I say “Eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade hoje”?

Yes, hoje (today) is an adverb, and adverbs have flexible position in Portuguese. All of these are grammatically correct:

1. Hoje eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade.
   – Most common; emphasizes today as the starting point.

2. Eu hoje quero fugir do barulho da cidade.
   – Also very natural; a bit more contrastive: me, today (as opposed to other days or other people).

3. Eu quero hoje fugir do barulho da cidade.
   – Possible, but feels more marked or stylistic; you’d mainly see this in careful or literary speech.

4. Eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade hoje.
   – Also correct; now the focus is slightly more on the action happening today. In practice, it’s fine in normal speech.

In everyday European Portuguese, “Hoje eu quero…” and “Hoje quero…” are probably the most natural-sounding options.

Why is it “do barulho da cidade” and not just “do barulho”? What does “da cidade” add?

• do barulho = from the noise (in general, any noise).
• do barulho da cidade = from the noise of the city / from city noise.

Adding da cidade specifies what kind of noise we are talking about: urban noise (traffic, people, construction, etc.) rather than just any random noise. It adds a clear image and context.

Grammatically:

• da = de + a, the preposition de plus the feminine article a (for cidade, which is feminine).
• da cidade = of the city / from the city.

Why is it “da cidade” and not “de a cidade”?

Exactly like de + o → do, we also have:

• de + a → da

So:

• de a cidade must contract to da cidade.

Saying de a cidade would sound ungrammatical to native speakers. Contractions like do / da / dos / das are automatic and obligatory in standard Portuguese.

What’s the difference between “quero fugir” and something more polite like “gostava de fugir”?

Both are grammatically correct, but their tone is different:

• Eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade.

  • Direct, clear: I want to escape the city noise (today).
  • Neutral in tone, but in Portuguese it can sound a bit strong or insistent, depending on context.

• Eu gostava de fugir do barulho da cidade.

  • Literally: I would like to escape the city noise.
  • Softer, more polite and more hypothetical/less direct; often used to sound less demanding or to talk about a wish/dream.

In European Portuguese, for requests or polite wishes, people often prefer “gostava de…” instead of “quero…”, whereas “quero” is very common for talking about your plans/intentions with friends or in casual speech.

Could I say “fugir ao barulho da cidade” instead of “fugir do barulho da cidade”?

Yes, you can hear both in European Portuguese, but there are nuances:

• fugir do barulho da cidade

  • Literally: flee from the noise of the city.
  • Very clear, concrete image: you are going away from where the noise is.

• fugir ao barulho da cidade

  • Literally: flee the noise of the city / flee from the noise of the city.
  • Feels a bit more formal or literary to many speakers. You may see it more in writing.

In everyday spoken European Portuguese, “fugir do barulho da cidade” is probably the more common, straightforward choice.

What is the difference between “barulho” and “ruído”? Could I say “ruído” here?

Both refer to noise, but the usage is different:

• barulho

  • The most common everyday word for noise.
  • Neutral or slightly negative: loud, bothersome sound.
  • Very natural in this sentence.

• ruído

  • More technical, formal, or used in specific contexts (e.g. ruído ambiental – environmental noise, ruído de fundo – background noise, in acoustics or engineering).
  • In daily speech it can sound a bit formal or “bookish”.

You could say:

• Hoje eu quero fugir do ruído da cidade.

It’s grammatically correct, but it sounds more formal or stylized. For everyday conversation, barulho is the most natural choice.

Why is “fugir” in the infinitive after “quero”?

In Portuguese, when you use a verb that expresses wish, intention, or plan, such as:

• querer (to want),
• precisar (to need),
• gostar de (to like to),
• começar a (to begin to), etc.,

you normally follow it with the infinitive of another verb.

So:

• Eu quero fugir. → I want to escape.
  
  • quero: 1st person singular present of querer
  • fugir: infinitive, unchanged.

This is directly parallel to English “I want to escape”, where “to escape” is also the infinitive.

Why is the object of “fugir” introduced with “de”? Is “fugir de” always used?

The usual pattern is:

• fugir de + [thing/person you escape from]

Examples:

• fugir de casa – to run away from home
• fugir da polícia – to escape from the police
• fugir do barulho – to escape from the noise

So fugir de is the standard way to introduce what you’re escaping from. Because barulho uses the article o, de + o contracts to do → fugir do barulho.

There are some cases with fugir a (more formal/literary or with a slightly different nuance), but “fugir de + noun” is the normal, everyday structure.

How would this sentence typically sound in European Portuguese pronunciation?

Very roughly, in a simplified approximation for English speakers:

• Hoje ≈ “OJ-zh(ɨ)” (the final vowel is a very reduced sound, like the e in the for many European speakers).
• eu ≈ “eh-oo” merged, a diphthong something like “ehw”.
• quero ≈ “KEH-roo” (the r is tapped, like the tt in American better).
• fugir ≈ “foo-ZHEER” (with a soft zh sound like in measure; final r is usually a soft, almost silent tap in European Portuguese).
• do ≈ “doo” (short).
• barulho ≈ “ba-ROOL-yoo” (lh = palatal sound somewhat like the lli in million).
• da ≈ “da”.
• cidade ≈ “see-DAH-d(ɨ)” (final e reduced, almost like uh).

So the whole sentence, loosely:
“OJ-zh(ɨ) ehw KEH-roo foo-ZHEER doo ba-ROOL-yoo da see-DAH-d(ɨ)”

This is only approximate; real European Portuguese reduces many final vowels and is spoken more quickly and smoothly than this transcription suggests.

Is there any difference in emphasis between “Hoje eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade” and “Eu hoje quero fugir do barulho da cidade”?

Both are correct and natural, but the emphasis shifts slightly:

• Hoje eu quero fugir do barulho da cidade.

  • Neutral, very common.
  • Puts initial focus on today as the time frame.

• Eu hoje quero fugir do barulho da cidade.

  • Also common; the eu gives a bit more emphasis to the subject (“me, today”).
  • Can sound slightly more contrastive: As for me, today I want to escape the city noise (as opposed to some other time or other people).

In everyday conversation, the difference is subtle, and both are fully acceptable.