Log inSign up

O Pedro preocupa-se com a privacidade e quase não mostra a família online.

O Pedro preocupa-se com a privacidade e quase não mostra a família online.
Pedro is concerned about privacy and almost doesn’t show his family online.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Portuguese now

Questions & Answers about O Pedro preocupa-se com a privacidade e quase não mostra a família online.

Why is there an O before Pedro? In English we don’t say the Peter.

In European Portuguese, it’s very common (and perfectly correct) to use the definite article with people’s first names:

  • O Pedro
  • A Ana

It doesn’t usually change the basic meaning; it just sounds natural and is part of normal, everyday speech, especially in Portugal.

You can say just Pedro without the article, and that is also correct. Using or not using the article can give small nuances of style or region, but for most learners the simple rule is:

  • In Portugal, you will hear and see O Pedro, A Maria a lot.
  • In more formal writing (or in some speakers’ style), they might drop the article: Pedro preocupa-se…
What does preocupa-se mean literally, and why is there -se?

Preocupa-se comes from the verb preocupar-se, which means to worry or to be worried (about something).

  • preocupar (without -se) = to worry someone, to cause worry
    • Isto preocupa-me. → This worries me.
  • preocupar-se (with -se) = to worry (oneself), to be worried
    • O Pedro preocupa-se com a privacidade. → Pedro is worried about privacy.

The -se is a reflexive clitic pronoun. It shows that the subject is affected by the action. Without -se, the verb changes meaning and would need a direct object (someone he worries).

Could I say O Pedro se preocupa instead of O Pedro preocupa-se?

In European Portuguese, the normal word order in a simple affirmative sentence is with the clitic after the verb:

  • O Pedro preocupa-se com a privacidade. ✅

Putting se before the verb (O Pedro se preocupa) is typical of Brazilian Portuguese and is not standard in European Portuguese in this context.

In European Portuguese, you only move the clitic before the verb when something triggers proclisis, for example:

  • O Pedro não se preocupa com isso.
    (The não triggers se before the verb.)

So:

  • O Pedro preocupa-se… → European Portuguese default
  • O Pedro se preocupa… → sounds Brazilian; avoid it if you’re aiming for Portugal usage.
Why is it preocupa-se com a privacidade and not preocupa-se sobre a privacidade?

In Portuguese, different verbs simply take different prepositions, and you have to learn those combinations.

  • preocupar-se com = to be worried about
    • Ele preocupa-se com a privacidade.

Sobre is more like about / on (a topic), as in:

  • um artigo sobre privacidade → an article about privacy

But with preocupar-se, the normal and idiomatic preposition is com, not sobre.

So:

  • preocupar-se com algo ✅
  • preocupar-se sobre algo ❌ (sounds wrong/foreign)
Why do we say a privacidade with an article? In English we usually just say privacy, not the privacy.

Portuguese uses the definite article with abstract nouns and general concepts much more than English does.

  • A privacidade é importante.
  • A liberdade é essencial.
  • A saúde é cara.

In English, we tend to drop the in these general statements:

  • Privacy is important.
  • Freedom is essential.

You can drop the article in Portuguese in some very general, slogan-like statements:

  • Privacidade é importante. (also possible)

…but a privacidade feels more natural in normal sentences like the one you’re studying.

What is the difference between preocupa-se com a privacidade and está preocupado com a privacidade?

Both are often translated as is worried about privacy, but there is a nuance:

  • O Pedro preocupa-se com a privacidade.

    • Describes a habitual attitude, a personality trait or general concern.
    • More like Pedro cares about / takes privacy seriously.

  • O Pedro está preocupado com a privacidade.

    • Uses estar + participle (preocupado) and often suggests a more current or specific state:
      • Right now he is worried.
      • Or in this particular situation, he is worried.

In your sentence, preocupa-se com a privacidade fits well because it describes something he generally does/feels, not just at one moment.

What exactly does quase não mean here? Is it just almost not?

Quase não + verb usually means hardly, barely, or almost never, depending on the verb:

  • quase não mostra a família online
    → he hardly ever shows his family online / he almost never shows his family online

So:

  • It doesn’t usually mean a one-time almost didn’t (as in he almost didn’t show it this time).
  • It describes low frequency or low intensity of the action in general.
Can I change the position of quase? Is não quase mostra a família possible?

No, não quase mostra a família is not natural Portuguese.

For this meaning, quase comes before the verb, and não follows it immediately:

  • quase não mostra a família online ✅

Other correct patterns with similar meaning are:

  • mostra a família online quase nunca
  • quase nunca mostra a família online

But:

  • não quase mostra… ❌ (ungrammatical / very strange)
Why is it mostra a família and not mostra a sua família or mostra a família dele?

In Portuguese, when context makes it obvious whose thing it is, the possessive is often omitted, especially with:

  • family members
  • parts of the body
  • very clearly “belonging” things

So:

  • O Pedro quase não mostra a família online.
    is naturally understood as
    Pedro hardly shows his family online.

You can use a possessive, but it changes the nuance slightly:

  • mostra a sua família online
    • grammatically fine, but a sua can mean his or your (formal); context has to disambiguate.
  • mostra a família dele online
    • explicitly his family (not someone else’s).
    • Used when you need to avoid confusion.

In your sentence, a família alone is the most natural and fluent choice.

What is the function of online here? Could I say na internet instead?

Online here works like an adverb (or an invariable adjective) meaning on the internet / on social media / on online platforms.

You could replace it with more “native” expressions:

  • …quase não mostra a família na internet.
  • …quase não mostra a família nas redes sociais.

All are acceptable; they just differ in specificity. Online is short and modern, and it’s widely used in Portugal.

Why is the verb in the present simple (preocupa-se, mostra) and not a continuous form like in English (is worrying, is showing)?

Portuguese usually uses the simple present to talk about:

  • Habits
  • General truths
  • Characteristics

So:

  • O Pedro preocupa-se com a privacidade e quase não mostra a família online.
    → describes what he typically does, his general behaviour.

If you really wanted to focus on what he is doing right now, you could use the continuous:

  • O Pedro está a preocupar-se com a privacidade. (sounds a bit odd; people don’t usually “worry” as an action in progress in the same way in Portuguese)
  • O Pedro está quase a não mostrar a família online. (also odd)

In short: for habits and general tendencies, Portuguese prefers the simple present, even when English might use is + -ing.

Should there be a comma before e in this sentence?

No comma is needed here:

  • O Pedro preocupa-se com a privacidade e quase não mostra a família online.

In Portuguese, you normally do not put a comma before e when it joins two clauses that:

  • share the same subject (O Pedro), and
  • are simply coordinated actions.

You would normally only add a comma before e if:

  • You change subject:
    • O Pedro preocupa-se com a privacidade, e a Ana não quer saber.
  • You want a special pause or emphasis (more stylistic / rhetorical).