Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O João sente-se nervoso no meio de uma multidão grande, mas a irmã gosta dessa energia. - João feels nervous in the middle of a large crowd, but his sister likes that energy.

You can also say João sente-se nervoso… without O, and it is still correct, but it can feel a bit more formal or “written”. In spoken European Portuguese, O João is more typical.

In Brazilian Portuguese the article before names is less common and can sound regional or informal, but in Portugal it’s very normal.

Why do we say sente-se and not just sente?

Because sentir-se is a reflexive/pronominal verb meaning “to feel (a certain way)”.

sentir (without se) usually means “to feel” something external:
- Sinto frio. = I feel cold / I’m cold.
- Sinto a mão dele. = I feel his hand.
sentir-se (with se) means “to feel (oneself) [in some state]”:
- O João sente-se nervoso. = João feels nervous.
- Ela sente-se cansada. = She feels tired.

So in this sentence we are talking about João’s internal emotional state, so Portuguese prefers sentir-se + adjective.

What is the difference between sente-se nervoso and está nervoso?

Both can be translated as “is nervous”, but there is a nuance:

O João está nervoso.
Focuses more on his current state, as a fact: João is nervous (right now).
O João sente-se nervoso.
Emphasises João’s personal perception of himself: João feels nervous.

In practice they often overlap, and both would sound natural here. But sentir-se highlights the subjective feeling more clearly.

Why is it sente-se and not se sente, even though I often see se sente in Portuguese?

This is a difference between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese word order.

In European Portuguese, the default is to attach the clitic pronoun -se to the end of the verb (enclisis) when there is something before the verb (like a subject):
- O João sente-se nervoso.
- A Ana levantou-se cedo.
Se sente would sound Brazilian or non‑standard in Portugal in this context.
In Brazilian Portuguese, it is common to put the pronoun before the verb (proclisis) in everyday speech:
- João se sente nervoso.
- Ana se levantou cedo.

So for European Portuguese (Portugal), sente-se is the natural choice here.

What does no meio de mean exactly, and why not just em or entre?

No meio de literally means “in the middle of” and is a fixed expression.

no meio de = “in the middle of / among / surrounded by”

Examples:

No meio de uma multidão grande = in the middle of a big crowd
No meio do trânsito = in the middle of traffic
No meio da aula = in the middle of the class

You could sometimes use entre (“between/among”) instead, but no meio de stresses the idea of being surrounded:

nervoso no meio de uma multidão = he is in the thick of the crowd, surrounded by people.

What exactly is multidão? How is it different from just saying muitas pessoas?

Multidão is a noun meaning “crowd” — a large number of people together in one place, like at a concert, protest, or busy street.

uma multidão = a crowd
muitas pessoas = many people (more neutral)

So:

no meio de uma multidão grande suggests a dense, busy crowd, not just “there happen to be many people”.

Also note:

multidão is feminine: a multidão, uma multidão.
Plural: multidões (crowds).

Why is it multidão grande and not grande multidão? Where do adjectives normally go?

In Portuguese, the default position of descriptive adjectives is after the noun:

uma multidão grande = a big crowd
uma casa velha = an old house
um carro caro = an expensive car

Putting the adjective before the noun is also possible, but it often changes the nuance slightly, making it more emphatic, literary, or subjective:

uma grande multidão
Still means “a big crowd”, but it can sound more vivid or expressive, like “a huge crowd”.

In everyday neutral speech, multidão grande is perfectly normal and may sound a bit more matter‑of‑fact.

Why is it mas a irmã and not mas a sua irmã (“but his sister”)?

In Portuguese, a definite article + family noun is often enough to show possession, especially when the possessor is obvious from context:

a irmã = his sister here (João’s sister)
a mãe = his/her/their mother (depending on context)
o pai = his/her/their father

So:

…mas a irmã gosta dessa energia.
= …but his sister likes that energy.

You could say mas a irmã dele gosta dessa energia to make it crystal clear (“but his sister”), but it’s usually not necessary if the context is obvious.

Adding sua here:

mas a sua irmã gosta dessa energia
is grammatically correct, but in European Portuguese sua/seu is often avoided in 3rd person because it can be ambiguous (his? her? their?). The simple a irmã is preferred when the reference is clear.

How do we know that a irmã is João’s sister and not someone else’s?

From context and sentence structure.

We have:

O João sente-se nervoso… mas a irmã gosta…

The natural reading in Portuguese is:

first subject: O João
second subject introduced with “but”: a irmã → understood as his sister.

If the writer wanted to talk about someone else’s sister, they would normally clarify:

…mas a irmã dela gosta dessa energia. = but her sister likes that energy.
…mas a irmã do Pedro gosta dessa energia. = but Pedro’s sister likes that energy.

So when a single person is mentioned first (O João), then a irmã usually refers back to that person.

What does dessa mean, and why is it written as one word?

Dessa is a contraction:

de + essa = dessa

So:

dessa energia literally = of that energy → that energy (with the preposition de included).

In Portuguese, de often merges with a following article or demonstrative:

de + a = da
de + o = do
de + este = deste
de + essa = dessa
de + aquela = daquela

So gosta dessa energia is really gosta de essa energia, but in correct Portuguese it must be contracted to dessa.

What is the difference between dessa energia, desta energia, and daquela energia?

They all mean something like “that energy”, but the distance and context are slightly different:

desta energia = of this energy (near the speaker, or very immediate in time/situation)
dessa energia = of that energy (near the listener, or just mentioned; often the neutral “that” in conversation)
daquela energia = of that energy over there (farther away, more distant or less immediate)

In many real contexts, dessa is the most common neutral choice, especially in writing or when just referring back to something just mentioned. Here, dessa energia refers to the kind of atmosphere the crowd creates; it’s not about physical distance, so dessa works well.

Why is it gosta dessa energia and not gosta de essa energia?

Because gostar always requires the preposition de, and de + essa must contract to dessa:

gostar de = “to like / to enjoy”
gosta de essa energia → must become gosta dessa energia

You will almost never see de essa written separately in standard Portuguese; it always contracts:

de essa → dessa
de este → deste, etc.

So:

A irmã gosta dessa energia.
Literally: The sister likes of that energy.
Natural English: His sister likes that energy.

Could we say gosta da energia instead of gosta dessa energia? Is there a difference?

Yes, you could say gosta da energia, but there is a small nuance:

gosta da energia
= likes the energy (more generic; “the energy” of the crowd as a known general thing)
gosta dessa energia
= likes that energy (refers back more explicitly to the specific energy created by this kind of big crowd / this situation)

In many contexts they are very close in meaning, and both would be understood as “she enjoys that kind of atmosphere”. Dessa just ties it a bit more firmly to this specific context being talked about.

Could I change the word order to No meio de uma multidão grande, o João sente-se nervoso? Is that still correct?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and natural:

No meio de uma multidão grande, o João sente-se nervoso…
O João sente-se nervoso no meio de uma multidão grande…

Both are valid. Moving no meio de uma multidão grande to the beginning simply changes the focus slightly, highlighting the situation first:

In the middle of a big crowd, João feels nervous…

Portuguese allows quite a bit of flexibility with adverbial phrases (like places and times) in terms of word order.

How is João and irmã pronounced? The ão and ã look confusing.

Both ão and ã represent nasal vowels in Portuguese.

Approximate pronunciation (European Portuguese):

João:
- Jo-: like zho in French “je” or zh
  - oh
- -ão: nasal sound, roughly like English “own” but with nasalization and without a strong final n.
  Together: something like zhoo-OWN (in one syllable).
irmã:
- ir-: like “eer” but shorter, with a rolled or tapped r
- -mã: nasal ã, a bit like “uhng” but without a strong g/n at the end.
  Overall: eer-MÂ (with nasal final vowel).

The key idea: ão and ã are vowels pronounced through the nose, which does not exist in English in the same way, so they take practice.