Hoje quero focar-me em português.

Today I want to focus on Portuguese.

Breakdown of Hoje quero focar-me em português.

• hoje: today
• querer: to want
• o português: the Portuguese
• focar-se em: to focus on

Questions & Answers about Hoje quero focar-me em português.

Why is there no subject pronoun eu in Hoje quero focar-me em português?

In Portuguese (especially European Portuguese), subject pronouns are often dropped because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• quero is the 1st person singular (I) of querer → it can only mean “I want”.
• So Hoje quero… is automatically understood as “Today I want…”.

You can say Hoje eu quero focar-me em português, but eu then adds emphasis, like:

• Hoje eu quero focar-me em português = “Today I (as opposed to someone else) want to focus on Portuguese.”

Why is focar-me written with a hyphen and placed after the verb?

Me is a clitic pronoun (an unstressed pronoun that attaches to a verb). In European Portuguese:

• When it comes after the verb, it’s written with a hyphen:
  
  • focar + me → focar-me

In this sentence, quero is the main finite verb, and focar is an infinitive:

• quero focar-me = “I want to focus (myself)”

European Portuguese strongly prefers attaching the pronoun to the infinitive like this (enclisis) when there is a verb like quero, posso, vou before it.

Could I say Hoje quero me focar em português instead of Hoje quero focar-me em português?

In European Portuguese, Hoje quero focar-me em português is the natural and standard form.

• Hoje quero me focar em português sounds Brazilian and non‑standard in Portugal, especially in writing.
• In Brazilian Portuguese, Hoje eu quero me focar em português is the common form.

So:

• In Portugal: Hoje quero focar-me em português.
• In Brazil: Hoje eu quero me focar em português.

Is the reflexive pronoun me really necessary? Can I say Quero focar em português?

Grammatically, the verb pattern for “to focus on something” in Portuguese is:

• focar-se em algo = “to focus (oneself) on something”

So the “correct” and most natural form is:

• Quero focar-me em português.

You do hear people say Quero focar em português (especially under Brazilian influence and in informal speech), but many speakers and grammar books consider focar-se em the preferred structure when the subject is focusing their own attention.

If you want to avoid the reflexive altogether, a very common alternative is:

• Quero concentrar-me em português.
  (“I want to concentrate on Portuguese.”)

Why is it em português and not em o português or no português?

For languages used in a general sense, Portuguese usually drops the article:

• falar português – to speak Portuguese
• em português – in Portuguese
• aprender português – to learn Portuguese

That’s why we say:

• Hoje quero focar-me em português. ✅

You can see no português (“in the Portuguese [language]”) in more specific or technical contexts:

• no português europeu – in European Portuguese
• no português do Brasil – in Brazilian Portuguese
• no português formal – in formal Portuguese

So:

• em português = in Portuguese (in general)
• no português X = in the Portuguese (of type X)

Is em always the preposition used with focar-se?

Yes, for the meaning “to focus on something”, the normal pattern is:

• focar-se em + [thing]

Examples:

• focar-me em português – focus on Portuguese
• focarmo-nos no exame – focus on the exam
• focarem-se no objetivo – focus on the goal

Using other prepositions like sobre here would sound strange. Think of focar-se em as a fixed verb + preposition combination, like English “focus on”.

Can hoje go in other positions, like in English “I want to focus on Portuguese today”?

Yes. Hoje (today) is quite flexible in position:

All of these are possible in European Portuguese:

1. Hoje quero focar-me em português.
2. Quero focar-me em português hoje.
3. Quero hoje focar-me em português.

Nuances:

• 1 puts a bit more emphasis on today as the starting frame of the sentence.
• 2 is very close to English “I want to focus on Portuguese today” and is very natural.
• 3 is correct, but in everyday speech it can sound a little more formal or “carefully spoken”.

You wouldn’t normally split focar-me:

• ❌ Quero focar hoje-me em português. (ungrammatical)

What is the difference between focar-se and concentrar-se?

They are often interchangeable and both can mean “to focus” / “to concentrate”:

• focar-se em português
• concentrar-se em português

Subtle differences:

• concentrar-se is older and fully traditional; it feels very neutral and is always correct.
• focar-se is more recent (influenced by English to focus) and is very common in modern speech, work contexts, etc.

In your sentence, both work:

• Hoje quero focar-me em português.
• Hoje quero concentrar-me em português.

Meaning is essentially the same.

How would this sentence typically be said in Brazilian Portuguese?

A natural Brazilian version would be:

• Hoje eu quero me focar em português.
  or more commonly:
• Hoje eu quero focar em português. (many Brazilians drop the me)

Differences:

• Brazilians usually keep the subject pronoun: eu quero instead of just quero.
• The clitic pronoun normally goes before the infinitive: me focar, not focar-me.
• It’s quite common in Brazil to use focar em without the reflexive pronoun in everyday speech.

How is Hoje quero focar-me em português pronounced in European Portuguese?

Approximate IPA (European Portuguese):

• Hoje – /ˈo.ʒɨ/
• quero – /ˈkɛ.ɾu/
• focar-me – /fuˈkaɾ.mɨ/
• em – /ẽ/ (nasal vowel, often very short)
• português – /puɾtuˈɣeʃ/

Spoken together, you’ll hear some linking and reduction:

• Hoje quero focar-me em português.
  ≈ “Oʒɨ kɛru fuˈkaɾmɨ ẽ puɾtuˈɣeʃ”

Key points:

• Final -e in hoje and -me is pronounced like a very short, closed ɨ, not like English “eh”.
• r in quero is a soft tap [ɾ], like the Spanish single r.
• The s in português is /ʃ/ (like English “sh”).