Mesmo quando o dia parece um fracasso, eu continuo a estudar português.

Even when the day seems a failure, I keep studying Portuguese.

Breakdown of Mesmo quando o dia parece um fracasso, eu continuo a estudar português.

• eu: I
• um: a
• o dia: the day
• estudar: to study
• parecer: to seem
• continuar: to continue
• o português: the Portuguese
• mesmo quando: even when
• o fracasso: the failure

Questions & Answers about Mesmo quando o dia parece um fracasso, eu continuo a estudar português.

What does mesmo mean here, and could we just say Quando o dia parece um fracasso…?

Here mesmo means “even” in the sense of “even when”.

• Mesmo quando o dia parece um fracasso…
  = Even when the day seems like a failure…

If you remove mesmo:

• Quando o dia parece um fracasso…
  = When the day seems like a failure…

The version without mesmo is grammatically correct but a bit weaker.
Mesmo adds emphasis and a slightly more “against the odds” feeling: even in that case / despite that.

Why is it mesmo quando and not mesmo que?

Both exist but they’re different:

• mesmo quando = even when
  → describes a real or habitual situation in time.
  Example: Mesmo quando estou cansado, trabalho.
  Even when I’m tired, I work.

• mesmo que = even if / even though
  → introduces a hypothetical or uncertain situation and normally takes the subjunctive.
  Example: Mesmo que o dia pareça um fracasso, eu continuo a estudar português.
  Even if the day seems like a failure, I still keep studying Portuguese.

In your sentence, the idea is more habitual (on days that feel like a failure, I still keep studying), so mesmo quando + parece (indicative) is natural.

Why is it parece um fracasso and not é um fracasso?

• parece um fracasso = seems like a failure / feels like a failure
  → This talks about appearance or impression, not an objective fact.

• é um fracasso = is a failure
  → This states it as a fact.

Using parece keeps it subjective, about how the day feels to you, not necessarily how it “really” is. That’s why it’s more natural in this kind of motivational sentence.

Could we say parece ser um fracasso instead of parece um fracasso?

Yes, but it sounds heavier and less natural in everyday speech.

• parece um fracasso
  → Very common and idiomatic.

• parece ser um fracasso
  → Grammatically correct, but more formal and wordy; you’d more often see it in analytical or written contexts.

For a personal, everyday sentence, parece um fracasso is the best choice.

Why do we say o dia and not just dia or um dia?

Portuguese uses definite articles (o, a, os, as) much more than English.

• o dia = the day (a specific, understood day / a typical day)
• um dia = a day (an indefinite, non‑specific day)
• bare dia (without an article) is much more limited and usually not correct here.

In this sentence, o dia can be understood as:

• “the day I’m having”, or
• “the day in general, as a unit of time” (on a given day)

So Mesmo quando o dia parece um fracasso… feels natural and generic at the same time, like “Even when the day (a day) seems like a failure…”.

Why is eu written, if Portuguese can drop subject pronouns?

Portuguese is a pro‑drop language, so you can say:

• Mesmo quando o dia parece um fracasso, continuo a estudar português.

This is fully correct. The verb continuo already shows the person (eu, 1st person singular).

Including eu:

• can add a bit of emphasis on I:
  … eu continuo a estudar português. = I still keep studying Portuguese.
• can make the sentence feel slightly more personal or insistent.

So with or without eu is fine; the difference is mostly emphasis and style.

Why is it continuo a estudar and not continuo estudando, which I’ve learned in Brazilian Portuguese?

You’ve spotted a key European vs Brazilian difference.

In European Portuguese (Portugal), the most natural structure is:

• continuar a + infinitive
  → continuo a estudar = I keep studying / I continue to study

In Brazilian Portuguese, you very often hear:

• continuar + gerúndio
  → continuo estudando = I keep studying

In Portugal:

• continuo a estudar is the default and sounds perfectly native.
• continuo estudando is understood but sounds Brazilian or not very natural in European usage.

So in European Portuguese, stick with continuar a + infinitive:
continuo a estudar, continuo a trabalhar, continuo a tentar, etc.

Why is there the preposition a in continuo a estudar? Could it be continuo em estudar or nothing at all?

With continuar, European Portuguese standardly uses:

• continuar a + infinitive
  → continuo a estudar (I keep studying)
  → continua a chover (it keeps raining)

You generally cannot use:

• ✗ continuar em + infinitive
• ✗ continuar + infinitive (without the a) in standard European Portuguese.

So a here is basically part of the verb pattern:
continuar a fazer, continuar a ler, continuar a aprender, etc.

Why is português written with a lowercase p?

In Portuguese, names of languages are written with a lowercase initial letter:

• português (Portuguese)
• inglês (English)
• francês (French)
• alemão (German)

Capital letters are used for nationalities as nouns referring to people:

• um Português = a Portuguese person (from Portugal)
• os Portugueses = the Portuguese (people)

But when it’s the language, you write português with a lowercase p:

• Estudo português. = I study Portuguese (the language).

Why is there a comma before eu continuo a estudar português?

The sentence has two parts:

1. Mesmo quando o dia parece um fracasso,
   → a subordinate clause of time/condition (“even when the day seems like a failure”)

2. eu continuo a estudar português.
   → the main clause (“I keep studying Portuguese.”)

In Portuguese, when a subordinate clause comes before the main clause, it is normally separated by a comma, just as in English:

• Quando chego a casa, janto.
• Se chover, ficamos em casa.

So the comma is standard and correct here. If the order were reversed, the comma would usually disappear:

• Eu continuo a estudar português mesmo quando o dia parece um fracasso.