Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.

You yourself know that the exam is difficult.

Breakdown of Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.

• ser: to be
• o exame: the exam
• difícil: difficult
• que: that
• saber: to know
• tu próprio: you yourself

Questions & Answers about Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.

In Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil, what does próprio add? Could I just say Tu sabes que o exame é difícil?

Próprio here is an intensifier, similar to “you yourself” in English.

• Tu sabes que o exame é difícil = You know that the exam is difficult.
• Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil = You yourself know that the exam is difficult / Even you know that the exam is difficult.

So:

• Without próprio, it’s a neutral statement of fact.
• With próprio, it emphasizes that you personally know this, often with a nuance like:
  • “You, of all people, know this.”
  • “Deep down, you know this perfectly well.”

Yes, Tu sabes que o exame é difícil is completely correct; próprio just adds emphasis.

Why does próprio come after tu (in Tu próprio sabes) and not somewhere else in the sentence?

With subject pronouns, the usual pattern in European Portuguese is:

• pronoun + próprio + verb

Examples:

• Eu próprio fiz o exercício. – I myself did the exercise.
• Eles próprios decidiram. – They themselves decided.
• Tu próprio sabes. – You yourself know.

Alternatives like:

• Próprio tu sabes...
• Tu sabes próprio que...

are not natural in standard modern usage. The intensifier for the subject normally sticks to the pronoun and goes right after it.

So for a subject:

• ✅ Tu próprio sabes...
• ❌ Próprio tu sabes...
• ❌ Tu sabes próprio que...

If I’m talking to a woman, do I still say Tu próprio sabes or do I need Tu própria sabes?

You need to make próprio agree in gender with the person you’re talking about.

• To a man: Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.
• To a woman: Tu própria sabes que o exame é difícil.

Agreement pattern:

• Masculine singular: próprio (eu próprio, tu próprio, ele próprio)
• Feminine singular: própria (eu própria, tu própria, ela própria)
• Masculine plural: próprios (nós próprios, eles próprios)
• Feminine plural: próprias (nós próprias, elas próprias)

So yes, with a female addressee it should be Tu própria sabes....

What’s the difference between Tu próprio sabes and Tu mesmo sabes?

Both próprio and mesmo can act as intensifiers like “yourself” in English:

• Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.
• Tu mesmo sabes que o exame é difícil.

In this context, they are very close in meaning. Nuance (in everyday EP):

• próprio is the more neutral, standard intensifier for this structure.
• mesmo can sound a bit more colloquial or emotionally loaded, often used when the speaker is insisting:
  • like “You really know that the exam is difficult” / “You yourself know very well…”

Both are correct; if in doubt, use Tu próprio sabes in European Portuguese.

Can I drop the tu and just say Próprio sabes que o exame é difícil?

No, that sounds wrong in modern Portuguese.

• You can drop the subject pronoun when there is no intensifier:
  • Sabes que o exame é difícil. – (You) know that the exam is difficult.
• But when you use próprio to emphasize the subject, you normally must keep the pronoun:
  • ✅ Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.
  • ❌ Próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.

So:

• Without emphasis: Sabes que o exame é difícil.
• With emphasis: Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.

Why is it sabes and not conheces? In English we just say “you know that the exam is difficult”.

Portuguese distinguishes two main verbs for “to know”:

1. saber – knowledge of facts, information, or abilities

   • Sei que o exame é difícil. – I know that the exam is difficult.
   • Sabes a resposta? – Do you know the answer?
   • Ele sabe nadar. – He knows how to swim.

2. conhecer – being familiar with / acquainted with people, places, things

   • Conheço o professor. – I know the teacher (I’m acquainted with him).
   • Conheces Lisboa? – Do you know (have you been to / are you familiar with) Lisbon?
   • Conheço bem este livro. – I know this book well.

Because “the exam is difficult” is a fact, you must use saber:

• ✅ Tu sabes que o exame é difícil.
• ❌ Tu conheces que o exame é difícil. (ungrammatical)

Why is it é difícil and not está difícil?

In Portuguese, ser and estar both translate as “to be”, but they’re used differently.

• ser (é) is used for inherent or defining characteristics, or things seen as generally true.
• estar (está) is used for temporary states or conditions.

In o exame é difícil:

• The difficulty is treated as an intrinsic characteristic of that exam (in general, as a type of exam or as it is designed).
• So you use ser: é difícil.

You would use estar difícil if you want to stress a temporary situation, e.g.:

• Este ano o exame está difícil.
  This year the exam is (especially) hard.
  → Implying: maybe it isn’t always this hard; this year’s version is particularly difficult.

In your sentence, é difícil is the most natural, neutral choice.

Why do we say o exame and not just exame?

Portuguese tends to use the definite article (o / a / os / as) more often than English, especially with specific, known things.

• o exame = the exam (a particular exam both speaker and listener know about)
• exame (without article) would sound either:
  • very generic (“exam” as a concept), or
  • like a fragment (e.g. in lists, titles, etc.)

In your sentence, you are clearly talking about one specific exam (for example, the exam next week, or the maths exam). So:

• ✅ Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.
• ❌ Tu próprio sabes que exame é difícil. (unnatural here)

If I want to be formal in European Portuguese, how would I say this instead of using tu?

In European Portuguese, tu is informal. Formal address usually avoids tu and você and prefers forms like o senhor / a senhora.

Formal singular versions:

• To a man:
  • O senhor sabe que o exame é difícil.
  • With emphasis: O senhor próprio sabe que o exame é difícil.
• To a woman:
  • A senhora sabe que o exame é difícil.
  • With emphasis: A senhora própria sabe que o exame é difícil.

Note:

• The verb is in 3rd person singular (sabe), not 2nd person (sabes).
• You keep the same structure: [form of address] + próprio + sabe...

How do I say this to more than one person? Like “You (all) yourselves know that the exam is difficult.”

Most commonly in modern European Portuguese you use vocês for plural “you”:

• Vocês sabem que o exame é difícil. – You (all) know that the exam is difficult.
• With emphasis:
  • Vocês próprios sabem que o exame é difícil. (to a mixed or all‑male group)
  • Vocês próprias sabem que o exame é difícil. (to an all‑female group)

Agreement:

• masculine / mixed group: próprios
• all‑female group: próprias

There is also an older / more formal vós form:

• Vós próprios sabeis que o exame é difícil. but vós is rarely used in everyday speech nowadays, except in some regional or liturgical contexts.

Could I say Sabes tu próprio que o exame é difícil? Is that just a different word order?

Sabes tu que... is a possible inverted word order, but it is quite marked and sounds either poetic, rhetorical, or archaic in modern speech.

• Sabes tu que o exame é difícil? – Used in rhetorical questions, old‑fashioned style.

If you also add próprio, it becomes very heavy and unnatural in normal usage:

• ⚠️ Sabes tu próprio que o exame é difícil. – Grammatically possible, but sounds awkward / literary / overdone.

In everyday European Portuguese, the natural options are:

• Neutral: Tu sabes que o exame é difícil. / Sabes que o exame é difícil.
• Emphatic: Tu próprio sabes que o exame é difícil.