Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Quando conto os meus problemas aos amigos, eles ouvem‑me e dão‑me bons conselhos. - When I tell my problems to my friends, they listen to me and give me good advice.

contar = to tell, to relate, to recount (a story, problems, experiences).
- Quando conto os meus problemas… = When I tell my problems…
dizer = to say, to state (words, phrases, sentences).
- Digo aos amigos que tenho muitos problemas. = I tell my friends that I have many problems.

With problemas you are “telling” or “relating” them, so contar is the natural verb. Dizer os meus problemas sounds odd in Portuguese.

Why is there no eu? Why not Quando eu conto os meus problemas…?

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

conto (I tell), contas (you tell), conta (he/she tells), etc.

So:

Quando conto os meus problemas… already clearly means When I tell my problems…

You can say Quando eu conto… for emphasis (for example, to contrast with someone else), but it’s not necessary in neutral sentences.

Why is it os meus problemas and not just meus problemas?

European Portuguese normally uses the definite article with possessives:

os meus problemas = my problems
a minha casa = my house
o meu pai = my father

Leaving out the article (meus problemas) is possible in some set phrases, headings, or for stylistic/poetic effect, but the default, everyday form is os meus problemas.

So os meus problemas sounds natural and complete; meus problemas would sound a bit bare or stylistic in a normal sentence.

Why is it aos amigos and what does aos mean?

aos is a contraction:

a (to) + os (the, masculine plural) → aos

So aos amigos literally = to the friends.

Grammatically:

contar algo a alguém = to tell something to someone
dar algo a alguém = to give something to someone

Here, os amigos is the indirect object (the people you tell your problems to), so Portuguese uses a:

Conto os meus problemas aos amigos.
= I tell my problems to (the) friends.

Why aos amigos and not para os amigos?

Both a and para can sometimes translate as to, but they’re not always interchangeable:

a often marks an indirect object (the person receiving something):
- Conto os meus problemas aos amigos. = I tell my problems to my friends.
- Dou um presente ao João. = I give João a present.
para often suggests destination, purpose, or benefit:
- Este presente é para o João. = This present is for João.
- Fiz isto para ti. = I did this for you.

In this sentence, your friends are simply the indirect object of contar, so aos amigos is the natural choice. para os amigos would sound off here.

Why is it aos amigos instead of aos meus amigos if we mean to my friends?

aos amigos can be understood as:

to my friends (from context)
or more generally, to my friends / to friends.

Portuguese often relies on context to know whose friends are being talked about. aos meus amigos would make it explicit and is also correct:

Quando conto os meus problemas aos meus amigos, …

Using os meus twice in the same sentence can feel a bit heavy, so speakers often say os meus problemas and then simply aos amigos.

Why do we have eles? Could we just say …aos amigos, ouvem‑me e dão‑me bons conselhos?

Yes, you can omit eles:

Quando conto os meus problemas aos amigos, ouvem‑me e dão‑me bons conselhos.

This is perfectly correct and actually very natural.

Including eles:

… aos amigos, eles ouvem‑me…

adds a slight emphasis on they (those friends), or helps avoid any possible ambiguity. But grammatically, the verb ending ‑em in ouvem and dão already shows that the subject is they.

Why is the pronoun me attached to the verb with a hyphen (ouvem‑me, dão‑me) instead of before the verb like me ouvem, me dão?

This is a key difference between European Portuguese (EP) and Brazilian Portuguese (BP).

In European Portuguese, in a normal affirmative sentence, unstressed object pronouns (me, te, se, o, a, lhe, etc.) usually come after the verb, joined with a hyphen:

Eles ouvem‑me. = They listen to me.
Eles dão‑me bons conselhos. = They give me good advice.

This position is called enclisis.

In Brazilian Portuguese, pronouns more often appear before the verb:

Eles me ouvem.
Eles me dão bons conselhos.

Since you specified Portuguese from Portugal, ouvem‑me and dão‑me are the standard forms.

Could we say Quando me contam os meus problemas aos amigos or Quando lhes conto os meus problemas? How do pronouns work here?

The indirect object pronoun for aos amigos is lhes:

Quando lhes conto os meus problemas, ouvem‑me e dão‑me bons conselhos.
= When I tell them my problems, they listen to me and give me good advice.

This is correct EP, with lhes = to them.

But Quando me contam os meus problemas aos amigos is wrong because me would be saying they tell me my problems, which changes the meaning.

So the patterns are:

Conto os meus problemas aos amigos.
Conto aos amigos os meus problemas.
Conto‑lhes os meus problemas. (EP, with enclisis)
Lhes conto os meus problemas. (possible in certain contexts but less neutral)

What’s the difference between ouvir and escutar? Could I say eles escutam‑me?

Both verbs involve the sense of hearing, but:

ouvir = to hear, to listen (very common, neutral)
escutar = to listen (often with a nuance of listen carefully, pay attention)

In practice:

Eles ouvem‑me. → very common and fully natural.
Eles escutam‑me. → also correct, possibly with a slightly stronger idea of listening attentively.

In everyday European Portuguese, ouvir is more frequent in this type of sentence. Using escutar is fine, just a bit more “intentional.”

Why is it bons conselhos in the plural when English would say “good advice” (uncountable)?

In Portuguese, conselho is a countable noun:

um conselho = a piece of advice
dois conselhos = two pieces of advice
bons conselhos = good pieces of advice / good advice

So while English uses the uncountable advice, Portuguese almost always uses the countable conselho(s).

That’s why the sentence has bons conselhos in the plural to match dão‑me (they give me several pieces of advice).

Why does the adjective bons come before conselhos? Isn’t the normal order “noun + adjective” in Portuguese?

Yes, the typical order is:

conselhos bons = literally advice good

However, many common adjectives can go before or after the noun, with slightly different nuances:

bons conselhos (adjective before noun) often sounds more natural here and slightly more “qualitative” or idiomatic.
conselhos bons is correct but feels more neutral or slightly less idiomatic in this fixed expression.

In practice, bons conselhos is the standard, natural phrase for good advice.

Can I change the word order of the objects? For example: Quando conto aos amigos os meus problemas…?

Yes, Portuguese allows some flexibility in object order.

Both are correct:

Quando conto os meus problemas aos amigos…
Quando conto aos amigos os meus problemas…

The difference is very small:

Version 1 highlights os meus problemas a bit more (because it comes right after the verb).
Version 2 brings aos amigos closer to conto, which can slightly emphasize to whom you are telling.

In everyday speech, version 1 (the original) is very natural, but both are fine.

Why is the verb conto in the present tense when English uses “when I tell” (which can refer to any time in general)?

In both languages, the simple present can express a general, habitual action:

English: When I tell my friends my problems, they listen…
Portuguese: Quando conto os meus problemas aos amigos, eles ouvem‑me…

This describes a general pattern, not a single event. So conto (present tense) is the correct and natural choice to match that idea of habit or general truth.