Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O Pedro explica o exame de modo claro.

in very formal or official contexts (forms, official lists, book covers, etc.): Pedro Silva
in direct address (vocative): Pedro, vem cá. = “Pedro, come here.”
in some headlines or titles.

So in a normal sentence, O Pedro explica… is exactly what you’d expect in European Portuguese. In Brazilian Portuguese, the article before names is much less common in many regions, which is why it can look strange to English speakers used to Brazilian examples.

Why do we also have o before exame? Can I drop it?

Exame is a singular, countable noun, so in Portuguese you normally need an article:

o exame = the exam (a specific one)
um exame = an exam (not specific)

You cannot normally say *explica exame in standard Portuguese. You must say:

O Pedro explica o exame. = Pedro explains the exam.
O Pedro explica um exame. = Pedro explains an exam. (odd, but grammatically fine)

Here, o exame is “the exam” they both know about (for example, tomorrow’s exam), so the definite article o is required.

What is the structure of explicar? Is it like “to explain something to someone”?

Yes. In Portuguese:

explicar algo a alguém = to explain something to someone.

Examples:

O Pedro explica o exame à Maria.
“Pedro explains the exam to Maria.”
O professor explica a matéria aos alunos.
“The teacher explains the material to the students.”

So o exame is the direct object (what is explained), and a alguém (to someone) can appear as an indirect object, but it just isn’t present in your sentence.

What does de do in de modo claro? Why that structure?

De modo claro literally means “in a clear way / in a clear manner.”

The pattern is:

de
- noun (modo / maneira / forma) + adjective

Common variants:

de modo claro
de maneira clara
de forma clara

All of these function like an adverb phrase, describing how Pedro explains the exam. It’s a very common way of turning an adjective into an adverbial expression in Portuguese.

Why is it claro and not clara in de modo claro?

Because claro is agreeing with modo, which is masculine:

o modo → modo claro
a maneira → maneira clara
a forma → forma clara

So:

de modo claro (masculine)
de maneira clara (feminine)
de forma clara (feminine)

In each case, the adjective matches the gender and number of the noun it modifies.

Could I just say claramente instead of de modo claro?

Yes:

O Pedro explica o exame claramente.

This is very natural. In most contexts, claramente and de modo claro / de forma clara / de maneira clara are interchangeable.

Very rough nuance:

claramente = a single-word adverb, common and neutral, sometimes a bit more direct/strong.
de modo / forma / maneira clara = slightly more “descriptive” or “careful” style.

But in everyday use, learners can treat them as equivalent for “clearly”.

Can I move de modo claro to another place in the sentence?

Yes. Some natural options:

O Pedro explica o exame de modo claro. (neutral)
O Pedro explica, de modo claro, o exame. (slight pause/emphasis)
O Pedro, de modo claro, explica o exame. (emphasis on Pedro’s clear style)

Less natural but still possible:

De modo claro, o Pedro explica o exame. (fronted for stylistic/emphatic reasons)

The most neutral and common order is the original one: verb + object + de modo claro.

Why can’t I just say O Pedro explica o exame claro without de modo?

You can, but it changes the meaning:

O Pedro explica o exame de modo claro.
= He explains the exam in a clear way (his explanation is clear).
O Pedro explica o exame claro.
= Literally: He explains the clear exam (the exam itself is clear).

Without de modo / de forma / de maneira, the adjective claro attaches to exame and describes the exam, not the manner of explaining. To describe how he explains, you need an adverb/adverbial expression: claramente, de modo claro, etc.

The verb is explica (simple present). Could I say está a explicar instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, in European Portuguese:

O Pedro explica o exame de modo claro.
= “Pedro explains the exam clearly.”
→ can mean a general/habitual fact, or be used for something happening now.
O Pedro está a explicar o exame de modo claro.
= “Pedro is explaining the exam clearly (right now).”
→ focuses clearly on an ongoing action in this moment.

Portuguese simple present often covers both present habitual and present progressive. Estar a + infinitive is used when you specifically want to highlight that it’s happening right now.

If I replace o exame with “it”, how does the sentence change? Where does the pronoun go?

The direct-object pronoun for o exame (masculine singular) is o.

In European Portuguese, in a simple affirmative sentence without special triggers, the pronoun usually attaches to the verb (enclisis):

O Pedro explica-o de modo claro.
= “Pedro explains it clearly.”

Compare with a sentence that does trigger proclisis (pronoun before the verb), e.g. with não:

O Pedro não o explica de modo claro.
= “Pedro does not explain it clearly.”

So the basic pattern for your original sentence is: explica-o in affirmative, o explica (before the verb) when there is a trigger like não, já, que, se, etc.

Does exame always mean a school exam? What about teste or prova?

Exame is broader:

exame
- school/university exam (exame de Matemática)
- medical test (exame de sangue = blood test)
- official exams (exame de condução = driving test)

Other common words:

teste = test/quiz (often shorter or less important assessment)
prova = test/exam/assessment (a bit more general; can be written or practical)

In a typical school/university context in Portugal, exame usually refers to a major, formal exam (e.g. end-of-year or national exam).

How do you pronounce exame and claro in European Portuguese?

Very roughly (without strict IPA):

exame
- sounds like: eh-ZAH-me
- the x is pronounced like z, not like English ks.
- the last e is a weak, short sound, a bit like the e in “the” when said quickly.
claro
- sounds like: KLA-roo
- r is a tapped/flapped r (similar to the single r in some Scottish or Spanish pero), not like the English r.
- both vowels are clear, not reduced.

These are European Portuguese approximations; Brazilian Portuguese has slightly different vowel qualities and rhythm.