Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): De manhã, eu costumo caminhar no parque com o Pedro. - In the morning, I usually walk in the park with Pedro.

"De manhã" is the natural way to say "in the morning" in Portuguese when you’re talking about a general, habitual time of day.
Literally it’s “of morning”, but you should just learn it as a fixed expression.

De manhã = in the morning (generally, as a routine)
À tarde = in the afternoon
À noite = at night / in the evening

You would only use "na manhã" (literally “on the morning”) in more specific contexts, like "na manhã de 3 de maio" (“on the morning of May 3rd”). For everyday routines, "de manhã" is the correct and idiomatic choice.

Is the comma after "De manhã" necessary?

When a time expression like "De manhã" comes at the beginning of the sentence, it is normally followed by a comma in writing:

De manhã, eu costumo caminhar…

In informal writing, some people leave it out, but the comma is recommended because it separates the introductory time phrase from the main clause. It doesn’t change the meaning; it’s just standard punctuation.

Do I have to say "eu", or can I just say "De manhã, costumo caminhar…"?

In Portuguese (especially European Portuguese), the subject pronoun "eu" is optional because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

De manhã, costumo caminhar no parque. (completely correct)
De manhã, eu costumo caminhar no parque. (also correct)

Including "eu" can add a bit of emphasis or clarity, especially in speech, or when you’re contrasting people (e.g. "Eu costumo caminhar, mas ele costuma correr." – I usually walk, but he usually runs.).

What exactly does "costumo" mean? Is it just “usually”?

"Costumo" is the 1st person singular of the verb "costumar", and it means “I usually / I tend to / I have the habit of”.

Nuance:

Eu costumo caminhar no parque.
→ I usually walk in the park. (it’s my habit)
Geralmente, eu caminho no parque.
→ Generally, I walk in the park. (an adverb of frequency; slightly looser)

You can even combine them for extra emphasis on habit:

Geralmente, eu costumo caminhar no parque.
→ Generally, I usually walk in the park. (very strong sense of routine)

So "costumar" carries a sense of regular habit, not just probability.

Why is it "costumo caminhar" and not "costumo caminho"?

After "costumar", the next verb must be in the infinitive form (the “dictionary” form):

Eu costumo caminhar. ✅
Eu costumo caminhar no parque. ✅
Eu costumo caminho. ❌ (wrong)

Think of "costumar" as a semi-auxiliary verb, similar to “tend to” or “usually” in English, followed by to + verb:

I tend to walk → Eu costumo caminhar
I usually go → Eu costumo ir

Could I just say "Eu caminho no parque de manhã" instead? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

Eu caminho no parque de manhã.

Both sentences are correct, but the nuance is slightly different:

Eu caminho no parque de manhã.
→ More neutral: I walk in the park in the morning. (just stating what happens)
De manhã, eu costumo caminhar no parque.
→ Emphasises habit and regularity: In the morning, I usually walk in the park.

In everyday conversation, both are fine; the version with "costumo" makes it clearer that it’s a usual routine, not just something happening now.

How is "manhã" pronounced?

In European Portuguese, "manhã" is roughly:

[mɐˈɲɐ̃], which you can approximate as “muhn-YA(n)”

Key points:

"nh" is like the “ny” in canyon or lasagna.
The "ã" (a with tilde) is nasal: let air flow through your nose as you say it. Don’t add an extra “n” sound at the end; it’s more like a nasal vowel than “man-YAN”.

So "de manhã" sounds a bit like “d(uh) mun-YA(n)”, with the stress on nhã.

What’s the difference between "caminhar" and "andar"?

Both can relate to walking, but they’re used differently:

caminhar
- Specifically “to walk”, often as an activity or exercise.
- Eu gosto de caminhar no parque. – I like walking in the park.
andar
- Very general: to walk / to go / to move / to ride (depending on context).
- Ele anda muito a pé. – He walks a lot (goes on foot a lot).
- Ela anda de bicicleta. – She rides a bike.

In your sentence, "caminhar" is natural because it suggests going for a walk as a regular activity.

What is "no" in "no parque"? Why not "em o parque"?

"No" is a contraction of the preposition "em" (in/on/at) + the definite article "o" (the, masculine singular):

em + o = no
em + a = na
em + os = nos
em + as = nas

So:

no parque = em + o parque → in the park
You never write "em o parque" separately; you always contract it to "no parque".

Why is it "com o Pedro" and not just "com Pedro"?

In European Portuguese, it’s very common to use the definite article before a person’s first name in speech:

com o Pedro – with Pedro
com a Maria – with Maria

This personal article can:

Sound natural and friendly in Portugal.
Be dropped, especially in more formal or written language: "com Pedro" is not wrong, just more neutral/formal or influenced by Brazilian norms.

In Brazilian Portuguese, people normally do not use the article with first names in this way, so they’d usually say "com Pedro", not "com o Pedro".

Can I move "com o Pedro" to another position in the sentence?

Yes. Portuguese word order is somewhat flexible. All of these are acceptable:

De manhã, eu costumo caminhar no parque com o Pedro.
De manhã, eu costumo caminhar com o Pedro no parque.
Eu costumo caminhar no parque com o Pedro de manhã.

The meaning stays the same; you just shift the emphasis slightly:

Putting "De manhã" at the start highlights the time.
Putting "com o Pedro" closer to "caminhar" links them more tightly (“walk with Pedro” as a chunk).
Your original sentence is a very natural order.

How would I say this if I were talking about a past habit (something I used to do)?

Use the imperfect tense of "costumar", which is "costumava" in the 1st person singular:

De manhã, eu costumava caminhar no parque com o Pedro.
→ In the morning, I used to walk in the park with Pedro.

This clearly expresses a past routine that probably no longer happens.

Is this sentence specifically European Portuguese? How would Brazilian Portuguese differ?

The sentence is perfectly correct in both varieties, but there are some tendencies:

European Portuguese (Portugal)
- Very natural as: De manhã, eu costumo caminhar no parque com o Pedro.
- Using the article with the name ("com o Pedro") is very typical.
Brazilian Portuguese
- Structure is also fine, but Brazilians are more likely to say:
  - De manhã, eu costumo caminhar no parque com Pedro. (no article before Pedro)
- Pronunciation, rhythm, and vowel quality will differ.

Grammatically, both varieties accept the sentence; the main visible difference is the article before the name and some pronunciation details.

How is "costumar" conjugated in the present tense?

Here is "costumar" in the presente do indicativo (present tense):

eu costumo – I usually / I tend to
tu costumas – you usually (informal singular)
ele / ela / você costuma – he / she / you usually
nós costumamos – we usually
vós costumais – you usually (very rare, archaic/formal)
eles / elas / vocês costumam – they / you (plural) usually

In everyday European Portuguese, "tu" is used informally in many regions, and "você" can be more formal or regional. The form in your sentence, "eu costumo", is 1st person singular.