Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): A capa desta edição é simples, mas combina bem com o cenário escuro da história. - The cover of this edition is simple, but it goes well with the dark setting of the story.

Why not just de esta?
In normal Portuguese, you almost always contract de with demonstratives and articles when possible. De esta is grammatical but sounds unnatural and very formal/old-fashioned in everyday speech.

Comparison:

desta edição = of this edition (this one, near me in context)
da edição = of the edition (more general/neutral, “the edition”)
dessa edição = of that edition (that one, near you / already mentioned / not close to me)

So desta points specifically to this edition in a more immediate way than da.

Why is it desta edição and not deste edição?

Because edição is a feminine noun, and the demonstrative must agree in gender.

edição → feminine
esta = this (feminine)
este = this (masculine)

Contractions:

de + esta → desta (feminine)
de + este → deste (masculine)

Examples:

desta edição (this edition) – feminine
deste livro (this book) – masculine

Why is it é simples and not está simples?

Both é simples (with ser) and está simples (with estar) are possible, but they express slightly different ideas:

é simples: describes a more permanent or characteristic quality of the cover.
- “The cover of this edition is simple (by nature / as a design choice).”
está simples: would sound more like a temporary state or a contrast with how it could be.
- “The cover is (for now) simple” or “It looks simple (compared to how it might usually look).”

In the context of book or magazine design, calling a cover é simples is the usual way to describe its style.

What does combina bem com mean, and how do I use combinar like this?

Combinar literally means “to match / to go well together” (it also has other meanings like “to arrange, to agree”, but here it’s about matching).

In the sentence:

combina bem com o cenário escuro da história
→ goes well with the dark setting of the story

combinar com = to match, to go well with
bem adds “well”: combinar bem com = to go well with (nicely)

Common uses:

Essa camisa combina com aquelas calças.
That shirt matches those trousers.
Este vinho combina bem com peixe.
This wine goes well with fish.
A capa combina bem com o cenário escuro.
The cover goes well with the dark setting.

You can often drop bem:

combina com = it matches
combina bem com = it matches well / nicely (slightly stronger emphasis)

Could I say fica bem com o cenário escuro instead of combina bem com? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

...mas fica bem com o cenário escuro da história.

ficar bem com and combinar bem com often overlap and can both mean “to look good with / to go well with”.

Nuances:

combinar (bem) com: slightly more about matching / being harmonious (colors, styles, themes).
ficar bem com: more about the effect / appearance, often used with clothes, accessories, haircuts, but also with design.

Examples:

Essa cor combina bem com os teus olhos.
That colour goes well with your eyes. (they match)
Essa cor fica bem em ti.
That colour looks good on you. (it suits you)

In your sentence, both combina bem com and fica bem com are natural; combina bem com highlights the idea of thematic or stylistic harmony.

Why is simples invariable? Shouldn’t it change for masculine/feminine or singular/plural?

Simples is one of the adjectives in Portuguese that has only one form for:

masculine / feminine
singular / plural

So:

o livro é simples (masc. sg.)
a capa é simples (fem. sg.)
os livros são simples (masc. pl.)
as capas são simples (fem. pl.)

All use simples.

Many adjectives ending in -s, -l, or sometimes -e behave like this or change only in the plural (e.g. fácil → fáceis). Simples stays the same in all forms.

Why is it cenário escuro, not escuro cenário?

In Portuguese, the default position of adjectives is after the noun, especially for more descriptive, objective qualities:

o cenário escuro = the dark setting
a capa simples = the simple cover
uma casa grande = a big house

Putting the adjective before the noun is possible, but:

It often sounds more literary, poetic, or emphatic.
It can sometimes suggest a more subjective or emotional tone.

So you could say o escuro cenário da história, but it would sound more poetic / stylized, not neutral everyday phrasing.

In standard neutral style, o cenário escuro da história is the natural order.

How does gender agreement work with capa, edição, cenário, and escuro here?

Each noun has a grammatical gender, and adjectives and some determiners must agree with it:

a capa → feminine
- a capa desta edição
- simples doesn’t change form, so no visible agreement.
edição → feminine
- esta edição, desta edição
- edição antiga, edição especial
cenário → masculine
- o cenário escuro (not escura)
- um cenário interessante
história → feminine
- a história, da história, história longa

So in o cenário escuro da história:

cenário is masculine → escuro (masc.)
história is feminine → da (de + a) and any adjective referring to história would be feminine.

Why do we have the article o in o cenário escuro da história? Could we say just combina bem com cenário escuro da história?

In Portuguese, definite articles (o, a, os, as) are used much more often than in English, even before abstract or general nouns.

Here:

combina bem com o cenário escuro da história

We’re talking about a specific setting: the one belonging to that story. So the definite article o is natural and expected.

Without the article:

combina bem com cenário escuro da história
sounds unnatural or incomplete in European Portuguese; you’d almost never say it like that.

In most cases, when English uses “the”, Portuguese also uses o / a / os / as, and often even when English drops “the”, Portuguese still keeps the article.

What’s the nuance of cenário here? Does it mean “scene”, “setting”, or “background”?

In this context, cenário is best translated as “setting” (in the sense of the environment or atmosphere in which the story takes place).

Possible meanings of cenário:

Physical scenery / stage set (theatre, film):
- O cenário do palco é muito realista.
  The stage scenery is very realistic.
Setting / backdrop / environment (for a story or situation):
- O cenário escuro da história.
  The dark setting of the story.
Scenario / situation (more abstract):
- Num cenário de crise económica…
  In a scenario of economic crisis…

Alternatives:

ambiente escuro da história – the dark atmosphere of the story
contexto escuro da história – the dark context (more abstract, less visual)

But cenário escuro nicely suggests both visual and atmospheric darkness.

What is the difference between história and estória? Would estória be possible here?

In modern European Portuguese:

história is used for both:
- history (real events)
- story (fiction)

The word estória exists historically, but:

It is rare and old-fashioned.
Mostly found in older literature or in discussions about language.
Not used in everyday writing or speech.

So in contemporary usage, you normally only see:

a história de Portugal – the history of Portugal
uma história de fantasia – a fantasy story

Here, da história is the normal, correct, and natural form. Estória would look strange or affected today.

How do you pronounce edição and what does the ç and ão indicate?

Edição is pronounced approximately like:
/e-di-SÃO/ (European Portuguese, with a relatively closed final ão).

Key points:

ç (c-cedilha) → pronounced /s/ before a, o, u:
- edição → /e-di-são/
- coração, açúcar
ão → a nasal diphthong, something like “own” but nasalized:
- não, mão, edição

So:

edição ≈ “eh-dee-SOWN” (with a nasal ending, not a clear n)

Also note the stress: on the last syllable -ção. The acute accent in çã marks stress and nasalization together with the o.

Can I change the order to say A capa é simples desta edição?

No, that word order is not natural in Portuguese.

The normal order is:

A capa desta edição é simples...

The structure is:

A capa [de + esta edição] é simples
Subject: A capa desta edição
Verb: é
Complement: simples

Putting desta edição after é simples would break the normal grouping of capa + desta edição and sound awkward or wrong in standard Portuguese.