Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Para não me distrair durante o estudo, fecho todas as janelas do navegador. - So as not to get distracted while studying, I close all the browser windows.

para is used for purpose / goal
- Estudo para passar no exame. – I study (in order) to pass the exam.
por is used more for cause, reason, means, duration, movement through
- Fiz isso por ti. – I did this because of / for you.
- Caminhei por duas horas. – I walked for two hours.

So with a purpose clause like this, you almost always want para, not por.

Why is it não me distrair instead of não distrair-me?

Both não me distrair and não distrair-me are grammatically possible, but:

In European Portuguese, não me distrair (pronoun before the verb) sounds more natural and everyday.
não distrair-me (pronoun after the verb) sounds more formal / written and is less common in speech.

Some points:

After a preposition like para, the verb appears in the infinitive: para distrair.
With verb forms that allow clitics (like the infinitive), pronouns can normally go:
- after the infinitive: distrair-me
- before the infinitive: me distrair (very common after para, sem, etc., especially in EP)
The negative word não strongly attracts the pronoun before the verb in real usage:
- não me distrair is what speakers typically say.

So:

Para não me distrair… – natural, everyday EP
Para não distrair-me… – very formal / literary

Why is me distrair reflexive? In English I’d say “to avoid getting distracted”, not “distract myself”.

Portuguese distinguishes between:

distrair alguém – to distract someone (else)
- Não distraias o teu irmão. – Don’t distract your brother.
distrair-se – to get distracted / to distract oneself
- Eu distraio-me facilmente. – I get distracted easily.

In your sentence:

não me distrair literally = “not to distract myself”, but idiomatically means “not to get distracted”.

The reflexive me marks that the subject and the person affected are the same. English often drops the explicit “myself” and just says “get distracted”, but Portuguese normally keeps the reflexive pronoun.

Why is it para não me distrair and not para eu não me distrair?

Both are possible:

Para não me distrair, fecho…
Para eu não me distrair, fecho…

The difference:

Para não me distrair…
- The subject of distrair is understood from context and from the main clause (eu fecho).
- Very natural when the subject of the infinitive is the same as the subject of the main verb.
Para eu não me distrair…
- Uses the personal infinitive (eu distrair), explicitly marking the subject.
- Often adds a bit more clarity or emphasis on “I”:
  - “In order for me not to get distracted, I close…”

In practice, here:

Both are correct in European Portuguese.
Para não me distrair… is slightly simpler and very natural.
Para eu não me distrair… is also fine and a bit more explicit.

What exactly does durante o estudo mean, and why is there an article o?

durante o estudo literally means “during the study” and in context is “during (my) studying / study time”.

durante = during
o estudo = the study / the act or period of studying

In Portuguese, when you turn a verb concept (estudar) into a noun (o estudo), it’s very common to use a definite article:

Durante o estudo – during (the) study
Durante o treino – during (the) training
Durante a aula – during (the) class

You could also say:

durante os estudos = during (my) studies (more general, not just one study session)
enquanto estudo = while I study (using the verb instead of the noun)

But durante o estudo is perfectly correct and natural.

Could I say enquanto estudo instead of durante o estudo? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can:

Para não me distrair enquanto estudo, fecho…

Differences in feel:

durante o estudo
- Uses a noun (o estudo).
- Slightly more neutral / formal, can sound a bit like “during my study session / during study time”.
enquanto estudo
- Uses a verb (estudo = I study).
- Feels a bit more direct and dynamic: “while I’m studying”.

Both are correct in European Portuguese. In everyday speech, many people might prefer enquanto estudo.

Why isn’t eu written before fecho?

Portuguese is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns like eu, tu, ele are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.

fecho can only be eu fecho (I close).
So saying just fecho todas as janelas… is natural and not ambiguous.

If you include eu:

Eu fecho todas as janelas…

That’s not wrong, but it usually adds a bit of emphasis:

“I close all the windows…” (as opposed to someone else).

Why is the tense fecho (present) and not a future form?

Portuguese uses the simple present very often to express habits and regular actions, just like English:

Fecho todas as janelas do navegador.
= I close all the browser windows (whenever this situation arises / as a routine).

It doesn’t mean “I’m closing them right now”, but rather:

“This is what I (usually) do in that situation.”

If you wanted to express a specific future moment, you could use:

Vou fechar todas as janelas… – I’m going to close all the windows.
Fecharei todas as janelas… – I will close all the windows. (formal/literary in EP)

But in the given sentence, it’s describing a habitual strategy, so the present tense fecho is perfect.

Why is it todas as janelas do navegador instead of something like as janelas todas?

Basic word order for “all the X” is:

todas as janelas = all the windows

Structure:

todas (all) + as (the, feminine plural) + janelas (windows)

Other possibilities:

as janelas todas – also possible, but it adds emphasis on all:
- More like: “the windows, all of them”.
todas as janelas do navegador – neutral, most common order here.

So the chosen order is simply the standard, unmarked one.

What does navegador mean here? Is it the same as “browser”?

Yes. In this context:

navegador = web browser

Literally, navegador means “navigator”, but in modern tech usage it’s the usual word for internet browser in Portuguese.

Some notes:

janelas do navegador = the browser’s windows
In practice, many people actually talk more about:
- abas do navegador = the browser’s tabs

So in real life you might also hear:

…fecho todas as abas do navegador. – I close all the browser tabs.

Could I say Para que eu não me distraia instead of Para não me distrair? What changes?

Yes, you can say:

Para que eu não me distraia, fecho todas as janelas do navegador.

Comparison:

Para não me distrair…
- Infinitive construction (distrair).
- Very common, especially in speech.
- Slightly more neutral and colloquial.
Para que eu não me distraia…
- Subjunctive (distrair → distraia).
- More formal / structured / written in feel.
- Explicit subject with eu.

Both are grammatical and mean essentially the same: “So that I don’t get distracted, I close…”
In everyday European Portuguese, the infinitive version is probably more common.

Is estudo here a noun or a verb?

In durante o estudo, estudo is a noun:

o estudo = the study / the studying (the activity or period)

As a verb, estudo would mean “I study” (1st person singular, present):

Eu estudo português. – I study Portuguese.

So:

durante o estudo – during the study (noun)
enquanto estudo – while I study (verb)

Same spelling, different grammatical function.

Is there any difference between European and Brazilian Portuguese in this sentence?

The whole sentence:

Para não me distrair durante o estudo, fecho todas as janelas do navegador.

is perfectly understandable and acceptable in both varieties. Differences:

Pronoun placement:
- EP commonly uses não me distrair, as in the sentence.
- BR also accepts it, but in Brazil many would find para não me distrair natural as well; overall clitic placement rules are looser and more varied in speech.
Vocabulary:
- navegador is used in both EP and BR for “browser”.
- Brazilians might also often talk about abas (tabs), as Europeans do.

So this sentence works fine for both, but its style (especially pronoun placement) is very typical and natural for European Portuguese.