Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu ponho o telemóvel longe da cama para não o usar de madrugada. - I put my phone far from the bed so I don’t use it at dawn.

Eu coloco o telemóvel longe da cama… – perfectly correct, a bit more neutral/formal.
Eu meto o telemóvel longe da cama… – common in Portugal in informal speech, but in some contexts it can sound a bit rough/colloquial.

In this sentence, ponho sounds very natural and typical for European Portuguese. It’s probably the most “default” choice in everyday speech.

What is the infinitive of ponho, and how is pôr different from por?

The infinitive is pôr (with a circumflex).

pôr = to put, to place
- eu ponho
- tu pões
- ele/ela põe
- nós pomos
- eles/elas põem

This verb is irregular, which is why eu ponho doesn’t look like pôr.

Be careful not to confuse pôr with por (without accent):

por (no accent) is a preposition meaning by / through / for / per, etc.
pôr (with accent) is the verb "to put".

Why does the sentence start with Eu? Could I just say Ponho o telemóvel…?

Yes, you can absolutely say:

Ponho o telemóvel longe da cama para não o usar de madrugada.

In Portuguese, the subject pronoun (eu, tu, ele, etc.) is often dropped, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Using Eu here:

adds a bit of emphasis: I put the phone far from the bed (as opposed to other people, or as a personal habit);
is also common in spoken language when giving explanations about your routine.

So both versions are grammatically correct. The one with Eu just sounds a bit more explicit or emphatic.

Why do we say o telemóvel with the article o? Could we just say ponho telemóvel longe da cama?

In Portuguese, we usually use a definite article (o / a / os / as) before singular countable nouns when we are talking about a specific, known thing.

o telemóvel = the mobile phone (my phone, the one we’re already talking about)

Omitting the article (ponho telemóvel longe da cama) sounds wrong here in European Portuguese. You almost always need the article in this kind of sentence.

Compare:

Ponho o telemóvel longe da cama. ✅ natural
Ponho telemóvel longe da cama. ❌ sounds ungrammatical

Why is it longe da cama and not longe de cama or longe da minha cama?

Longe (far) normally appears with the preposition de:

longe de = far from

When de is followed by a (the feminine article a, “the”), they contract:

de + a = da
longe de a cama → longe da cama

So:

longe da cama = far from the bed

You could say longe da minha cama (far from my bed), but in context it’s usually obvious that the bed in question is your bed, so da cama is enough.

Longe de cama without any article sounds wrong here in European Portuguese.

What exactly does para mean in para não o usar? Why not por?

Here para introduces a purpose or intention:

para não o usar = so that I don’t use it / in order not to use it

In Portuguese:

para is used for purpose / goal / intention:
- Estudo para passar no exame. – I study to pass the exam.
por is used more for cause / reason / duration / exchange, not for intentional purpose:
- Fiquei em casa por estar doente. – I stayed home because I was sick.

So por não o usar would not be correct here. The idea is “I put it far from the bed in order not to use it” → para não o usar.

What does the pronoun o stand for in para não o usar, and why is it o, not lo or something else?

The o is a direct object pronoun that replaces o telemóvel:

para não usar o telemóvel
para não o usar (avoiding repetition)

It is o because:

telemóvel is masculine singular → pronoun o.
In European Portuguese, after não
- infinitive (usar), the object pronoun usually appears between não and the verb:
  - não o usar

Forms like usá-lo (pronoun attached to the verb with a hyphen) are standard in Brazilian Portuguese. In European Portuguese with não, the normal choice is não o usar.

Is it also correct to say para não usar o telemóvel de madrugada, without the pronoun o?

Yes, that’s also correct:

Eu ponho o telemóvel longe da cama para não usar o telemóvel de madrugada.

However, repeating o telemóvel sounds a bit heavier and less natural than using the pronoun:

…para não o usar de madrugada. ✅ more elegant / natural

In Portuguese, once the noun is clear, it’s very common to replace it with a pronoun to avoid repetition.

Why is the pronoun o placed before usar in para não o usar? Could we say para não usar o?

In European Portuguese, object pronouns generally:

come after a bare infinitive:
- usar o → usá-lo (in writing, attached with a hyphen)
but when there is não (negation) before the infinitive, the pronoun normally comes between não and the verb:
- não + o + usar → não o usar

So:

para não o usar ✅
para não usar o ❌ wrong
para não usá-lo – sounds Brazilian; in European Portuguese this structure with não is unusual in normal speech.

In Brazilian Portuguese, you will often hear:

para não usá-lo de madrugada.

What does de madrugada mean exactly, and how is it different from à noite or de manhã?

De madrugada refers to the early hours of the morning, typically when it’s still dark – roughly between about 1–2 a.m. and sunrise.

Compare:

à noite – at night (evening and night in general)
de madrugada – in the (very) early hours, late at night / before dawn
de manhã – in the morning (after sunrise)

So the sentence suggests you don’t want to use your phone during those very late/early hours, not just any time at night.

Why is it de madrugada and not na madrugada?

Both exist, but they are used differently:

de madrugada is the usual, idiomatic way to say “in the early hours (habitually / generally)”:
- Não gosto de acordar de madrugada. – I don’t like waking up in the early hours.
na madrugada is used more when referring to a specific occurrence or time frame:
- O acidente aconteceu na madrugada de sábado. – The accident happened in the early hours of Saturday.

In your sentence, the idea is a general habit, so de madrugada is the natural choice.

Is telemóvel specific to Portugal? What would Brazilians say in a similar sentence?

Yes, telemóvel is the standard word for mobile phone in European Portuguese (Portugal).

In Brazilian Portuguese, people usually say celular.

A Brazilian version of the sentence would be something like:

Eu ponho o celular longe da cama para não usá-lo de madrugada.

Note the changes:

telemóvel → celular
pronoun position/style: para não usá-lo is the typical Brazilian pattern.