Breakdown of Hoje eu ponho o casaco no armário.
Questions & Answers about Hoje eu ponho o casaco no armário.
Yes, eu can be left out. Portuguese is a “pro-drop” language, so subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.
- Hoje ponho o casaco no armário. – completely natural
- Hoje eu ponho o casaco no armário. – also correct, but eu adds a bit of emphasis on “I”.
You’d keep eu for contrast or emphasis:
- Eu ponho o casaco no armário, tu pões a mala na cadeira.
I put the coat in the wardrobe, you put the bag on the chair.
Pôr is an irregular verb. In the present tense, it doesn’t keep the ô; it changes to pon- in some forms.
Present tense of pôr (European Portuguese):
- eu ponho
- tu pões
- ele / ela / você põe
- nós pomos
- vós pondes (rare in speech)
- eles / elas / vocês põem
So ponho is just the irregular eu form of pôr. There is no form pôo.
In this sentence, all three can be used with small nuances:
- pôr – the most basic, everyday verb for “to put”.
- Hoje ponho o casaco no armário.
- meter – very common in European Portuguese in everyday speech; sometimes feels more informal/colloquial.
- Hoje meto o casaco no armário.
- colocar – slightly more formal or “careful” speech; often used in instructions.
- Hoje coloco o casaco no armário.
In daily European Portuguese conversation, pôr and meter are extremely common; colocar is also correct but can sound a bit more neutral/formal.
Portuguese uses definite articles more than English does.
- o casaco = the coat/jacket (a specific one, usually known to both speakers)
- bare casaco (no article) is much less common and can sound either generic or incomplete in this context.
In your sentence, you’re talking about a particular coat (for example, the one you were wearing), so o casaco is natural:
- Vou pôr o casaco no armário. – I’m going to put the coat in the wardrobe.
Leaving the article out here would normally sound odd:
✗ Hoje eu ponho casaco no armário. (sounds wrong unless you mean something very generic or list-like)
In European Portuguese, casaco is a general term that can cover both “coat” and “jacket,” depending on context.
- casaco de inverno – winter coat
- casaco de ganga – denim jacket
- casaco de cabedal – leather jacket
Portuguese doesn’t always distinguish as clearly between “coat” and “jacket” as English; casaco is the default outer-layer word.
No is a contraction of the preposition em (in/on) + the masculine singular article o (the):
- em + o = no
- em + a = na
- em + os = nos
- em + as = nas
So:
- no armário = em + o armário → in/on the wardrobe
- na gaveta = em + a gaveta → in the drawer
- nos bolsos = em + os bolsos → in the pockets
You virtually always use the contraction, not the full em o.
Yes, all of these are possible, with slightly different emphases:
- Hoje ponho o casaco no armário. – neutral, focus a bit on today.
- Hoje eu ponho o casaco no armário. – similar, with extra emphasis on I.
- Eu hoje ponho o casaco no armário. – also fine; often used in speech.
- Eu ponho o casaco no armário hoje. – also correct; hoje now sounds a bit like an afterthought or contrast (today, not some other day).
What you generally don’t do is move hoje inside the noun phrase or split things awkwardly, e.g.:
✗ Eu ponho hoje o casaco no armário – not ungrammatical, but sounds marked/odd in everyday speech; it places a lot of emphasis on today in a somewhat unnatural spot.
Portuguese present tense covers both simple and continuous meanings from English:
- Hoje eu ponho o casaco no armário.
Depending on context, can be:- Today I put the coat in the wardrobe (as a habit).
- Today I’m putting the coat in the wardrobe (right now / at some point today).
If you really want to stress the action as ongoing right now, you can use the continuous:
- Hoje estou a pôr o casaco no armário. (European Portuguese)
- Today I am putting the coat in the wardrobe (right now / at this moment).
But the simple present ponho is often enough in context.
Both are possible, but vou pôr is clearer for a planned future action:
- Hoje eu vou pôr o casaco no armário.
Today I’m going to put the coat in the wardrobe (later today).
Hoje eu ponho o casaco no armário can also refer to a planned future time (especially if it’s part of a schedule), but vou pôr is the more obviously “future” form.
They all involve the wardrobe, but they’re not identical:
- no armário – literally “in/on the wardrobe”, but as a destination it usually means into the wardrobe.
- Ponho o casaco no armário. – I put the coat in the wardrobe.
- para o armário – focuses on direction towards the wardrobe; more explicit about the movement.
- Levo o casaco para o armário. – I take the coat to the wardrobe.
- dentro do armário – “inside the wardrobe,” emphasising the interior.
- Ponho o casaco dentro do armário. – I put the coat inside the wardrobe (not just on top).
In everyday speech, no armário is usually enough when you mean “put it away in the wardrobe.”
Yes, depending on what you mean and local usage:
- armário – general word for a cabinet/cupboard/wardrobe with doors.
- guarda-roupa – specifically for storing clothes; wardrobe. Can be a piece of furniture or a built-in closet.
In many European Portuguese contexts:
- Ponho o casaco no armário. – can easily be understood as “I put the coat in the wardrobe (or a cupboard).”
- Ponho o casaco no guarda-roupa. – explicitly “in the wardrobe/closet for clothes.”
Both are correct; choice depends on what kind of furniture you’re picturing.
European Portuguese pronunciation (simplified):
ponho – /ˈpoɲu/
- po – like the start of “pon-” in “poncho,” but tighter and shorter.
- nh – like the ny in “canyon”.
- Final -o – often a very short, almost “uh”-like vowel in European Portuguese.
hoje – roughly /ˈo(ʒ)ʒɨ/
- The initial h is silent.
- oj – like a short “oj” with a soft zh sound after it.
- j – like the s in “measure”.
- Final -e – very reduced, like a quick “uh”, often barely audible.
In careful speech you might hear something like [ˈo.ʒɨ], but in fast European Portuguese it can get quite reduced.