Eu tenho quatro amigos no trabalho.

I have four friends at work.

Breakdown of Eu tenho quatro amigos no trabalho.

• eu: I
• o amigo: the friend
• ter: to have
• em: at
• o trabalho: the work
• quatro: four

Questions & Answers about Eu tenho quatro amigos no trabalho.

Can I drop eu and just say Tenho quatro amigos no trabalho?

Yes. In European Portuguese the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Eu tenho quatro amigos no trabalho and Tenho quatro amigos no trabalho mean the same thing. Using eu just adds a little emphasis on I.

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What exactly is no here, and why not just em?

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

• em + o = no

So no trabalho literally means in/at the work / at the job.
You would not say em trabalho here; that sounds wrong. You need the article, so it becomes no trabalho.

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Why is it amigos and not amigo when we already have quatro?

In Portuguese, numbers do not replace plural endings. The noun still has to agree in number:

• um amigo – one friend (singular)
• quatro amigos – four friends (plural)

So with quatro, the noun must be plural: amigos, not amigo.

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What is the difference between amigos and colegas in this context?

• amigos = friends (people you are personally close to)
• colegas (de trabalho) = colleagues, co‑workers

If you mean you get on well with four colleagues but they are not really close friends, European Portuguese speakers would more naturally say:

• Eu tenho quatro colegas de trabalho.

Saying Eu tenho quatro amigos no trabalho suggests you truly consider them friends, not just co‑workers.

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Why is the verb tenho and not tem?

Because the subject is eu (I), and tenho is the eu form of ter in the present tense:

• eu tenho – I have
• tu tens – you have (informal singular, EU Portuguese)
• ele / ela / você tem – he / she / you (formal) has
• nós temos – we have
• vocês / eles / elas têm – you (plural) / they have

So for I have, it must be eu tenho, not eu tem.

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Can I move no trabalho to another position in the sentence?

Yes, but the neutral, most natural order is:

• Eu tenho quatro amigos no trabalho.

You can also say:

• No trabalho, eu tenho quatro amigos. (slight emphasis on at work)

Sentences like Eu no trabalho tenho quatro amigos are technically possible but sound marked or unnatural in normal conversation.

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Why is it no trabalho and not no meu trabalho?

Both are possible, with a small nuance:

• no trabalho – at work / at the workplace (context usually tells whose work)
• no meu trabalho – at my work / at my job (explicitly yours)

In everyday speech, Portuguese speakers often drop meu when it’s obvious we’re talking about the speaker’s job, so no trabalho is very normal here.

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Is trabalho here a noun or a verb? How is this different from a trabalhar?

Here trabalho is a noun (work / job):

• no trabalho – at work, at the workplace

If you use the verb:

• a trabalhar – working

So:

• Eu tenho quatro amigos no trabalho. – I have four friends at work.
• Eu estou a trabalhar. – I am working.

They are not interchangeable.

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How do you pronounce Eu tenho quatro amigos no trabalho in European Portuguese?

Approximate IPA (European Portuguese):

• Eu tenho quatro amigos no trabalho
  [ew ˈtẽɲu ˈkwatɾu ɐˈmiɣuʃ nu tɾɐˈbaʎu]

Very rough English‑style guide (not exact):

• Eu – like ehw
• tenho – TEN
  • nyu (with a soft ny like in canyon)
• quatro – KWA-tro (flapped r, quick tap)
• amigos – uh-MEE-gush (final s like English sh)
• no – noo
• trabalho – truh-BA-lyu (the lh is like ly in million)

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Does quatro change for masculine/feminine or singular/plural?

Quatro is invariable:

• quatro amigos (masculine)
• quatro amigas (feminine)
• quatro carros (cars)
• quatro casas (houses)

It never changes form; only the noun takes masculine/feminine and singular/plural endings.