Log inSign up

Ao receber um elogio sincero no meu perfil, sinto motivação extra para estudar português.

Ao receber um elogio sincero no meu perfil, sinto motivação extra para estudar português.
When I receive a sincere compliment on my profile, I feel extra motivation to study Portuguese.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Portuguese now

Questions & Answers about Ao receber um elogio sincero no meu perfil, sinto motivação extra para estudar português.

What does ao receber mean here, and how is it different from quando recebo?

Ao receber literally means “on receiving / upon receiving / when I receive.”

Grammar points:

  • ao + infinitive = a common structure in European Portuguese to express:
    • time: when / whenever doing something
    • sometimes cause: by doing / through doing something
  • The subject of the infinitive (receber) is understood to be the same as the subject of the main verb (sinto = I feel).

In your sentence:

  • Ao receber um elogio sincero... ≈ Quando recebo um elogio sincero... = When I receive a sincere compliment...

Nuance:

  • ao receber feels a bit more formal or written, sometimes slightly more reflective.
  • quando recebo is more neutral and conversational.

Both are correct; ao receber is very natural in European Portuguese in this kind of sentence.

Why do we say um elogio sincero instead of just elogio sincero or um sincero elogio?

Several things are going on here:

  1. Indefinite article: um

    • um elogio sincero = a sincere compliment (not a specific, known compliment).
    • Without um, elogio sincero would sound incomplete here; you normally need an article with a countable noun in this position.

  2. Adjective position: elogio sincero

    • In Portuguese, adjectives usually come after the noun:
      • um elogio sincero = a sincere compliment
    • You can say um sincero elogio, but:
      • it is more literary, emphatic or stylistic
      • it puts extra focus on how sincere the compliment is

So:

  • um elogio sincero is the most natural, neutral order.
  • um sincero elogio is possible but sounds more “written” or slightly poetic.
  • elogio sincero (without um) would not be correct here.
What does no meu perfil mean exactly, and why no instead of em?

no meu perfil literally means “on my profile” (e.g. on a social media or learning platform profile).

  • em + o = no
    • em = in / on / at
    • o (masc. singular) = the
    • em + o → no
  • perfil is masculine, so:
    • no perfil = em o perfil = “on the profile”
    • no meu perfil = “on my profile”

Why not em meu perfil?

  • In European Portuguese, you normally include the article with possessives:
    • no meu perfil, na minha casa, nos meus livros.
  • em meu perfil (without article) is more typical of Brazilian Portuguese, and even there it can sound a bit formal.

So:

  • no meu perfil = idiomatic European Portuguese for “on my profile.”
Why is the pronoun eu omitted before sinto? Could I say eu sinto?

Yes, you could say:

  • Ao receber um elogio sincero no meu perfil, eu sinto motivação extra...

But in Portuguese it’s normal to drop subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

  • sinto = 1st person singular (I feel)
  • There is no ambiguity, so eu is not needed.

Nuance:

  • Adding eu can:
    • add emphasis: eu (as opposed to someone else) feel extra motivation
    • sound a bit more contrastive: I feel extra motivation (maybe others don’t)

In your neutral sentence, sinto without eu is the most natural choice.

Why is there a comma after perfil? Could the word order be different?

The comma separates the introductory clause from the main clause:

  • Ao receber um elogio sincero no meu perfil, → time/context
  • sinto motivação extra para estudar português. → main statement

Other natural variants:

  1. Without fronting the ao receber part:

    • Sinto motivação extra para estudar português ao receber um elogio sincero no meu perfil.
    • Here, the ao receber phrase comes at the end; no comma is needed.

  2. You can keep the intro and still move pieces around a bit:

    • Ao receber um elogio sincero no meu perfil, ganho motivação extra para estudar português.

Core idea:

  • When a dependent clause (time, condition, etc.) comes at the beginning, it is normally followed by a comma in Portuguese.
Why is it sinto motivação extra and not tenho motivação extra or fico mais motivado?

All three are grammatically possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

  • sinto motivação extra

    • literally: I feel extra motivation
    • focuses on your internal feeling/experience
    • very natural here

  • tenho motivação extra

    • literally: I have extra motivation
    • sounds a bit less natural in this context; possible, but sinto is more idiomatic for speaking about motivation as a feeling

  • fico mais motivado

    • literally: I become more motivated / I get more motivated
    • focuses on a change of state (from less motivated to more motivated)
    • also very natural:
      • Ao receber um elogio sincero no meu perfil, fico mais motivado para estudar português.

So sinto motivação extra is completely correct and idiomatic; fico mais motivado is another very natural alternative; tenho motivação extra is valid but not the most typical choice.

Why is português written with a lowercase p, while in English Portuguese is capitalized?

In Portuguese, capitalization rules are different from English:

  • Languages are normally written with a lowercase initial letter:
    • português, inglês, francês, alemão.
  • Nationalities used as adjectives are also lowercase:
    • um aluno português (a Portuguese student).

You only capitalize when it’s part of a proper name or title (e.g. a course name like Português A2 – Universidade X might capitalize for stylistic reasons).

So in your sentence, estudar português is correctly written with p in lowercase.

Why is there no article before português in estudar português? Could I say estudar o português?

Both are possible:

  • estudar português
  • estudar o português

Difference:

  • When talking about languages as objects of learning, Portuguese often omits the article, especially after verbs like:

    • estudar, aprender, falar, escrever, ler:
      • Estudo português.
      • Falo inglês.

  • Using the article:

    • estudar o português is also correct and can sound slightly more:
      • specific (this particular language, Portuguese)
      • formal or emphatic in some contexts

In your sentence, estudar português (without o) is the most natural, everyday way to say “to study Portuguese.”

How does gender agreement work in um elogio sincero, no meu perfil, and motivação extra?

Key words and their genders:

  • elogio (compliment) → masculine

    • um elogio sincero:
      • um (masc. sg.)
      • elogio (masc. sg.)
      • sincero (masc. sg. adjective)

  • perfil (profile) → masculine

    • no meu perfil:
      • no = em + o (masc. sg.)
      • meu (my, masc. sg.)
      • perfil (masc. sg.)

  • motivação (motivation) → feminine

    • motivação extra:
      • motivação (fem. sg.)
      • extra: invariable adjective (does not change with gender/number)

Notes:

  • Most adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun:
    • elogio sincero (masc.), casa sincera (fem.)
  • Some adjectives, like extra, are invariable:
    • motivação extra, motivações extra, trabalho extra, tarefas extra
Is extra always the same form? Does it ever change to extra(s)?

In practice, extra is invariable as an adjective in Portuguese:

  • singular:
    • motivação extra
    • trabalho extra
  • plural:
    • motivações extra
    • trabalhos extra

You do not change it to agree in gender or number (no extras as an adjective here).
So your use in motivação extra is exactly right and follows this rule.

Does ao receber refer to present, future, or general time? Could it also mean "whenever I receive"?

Ao receber is a bit flexible in time reference. It usually means something like:

  • When I receive / whenever I receive / on receiving

The exact time value depends on context:

  • In your sentence:
    • Ao receber um elogio sincero... sinto motivação extra...
    • It describes a general, repeated situation:
      • Whenever I receive a sincere compliment on my profile, I feel extra motivation…

It can also refer to:

  • A specific future or past event, if the context makes that clear:
    • Ao receber a notícia, ele chorou.
      • On receiving the news, he cried. (past)
    • Ao receberes o email, liga-me.
      • When you receive the email, call me. (future instruction)

So here, ao receber is best understood as “whenever I receive / when I receive (in general).”