Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu não percebo o que ele diz.

Eu não perceber o que ele diz.
This is incorrect in standard Portuguese; you cannot use the infinitive here.
Eu não percebi o que ele disse.
= I didn’t understand what he said. (one finished past event)

Use percebo for present, percebi for a completed past action.

Does perceber mean the same as English “to perceive”?

Not exactly. In European Portuguese:

perceber very often means to understand:
- Não percebo. = I don’t understand.
- Percebeste? = Did you understand?

It can also mean to realize / to notice:

De repente percebi o erro. = Suddenly I realized the mistake.

English to perceive is more formal and often about the senses or opinions. In everyday European Portuguese, perceber is much more common and neutral than English to perceive.

So in most everyday contexts, think of perceber as closer to to understand or to realize.

Why is the negation placed before the verb: não percebo and not percebo não?

In standard Portuguese, the basic pattern for negation is:

não + conjugated verb

So you say:

Eu não percebo.
Ele não diz nada.
Nós não sabemos.

Putting não after the verb (percebo não) is not standard. You might hear post‑verbal não in some dialects or special emphatic structures, but for learners you should stick to:

Subject (optional) + não + verb
Eu não percebo…

Can I drop the subject and say just Não percebo o que ele diz?

Yes. Portuguese is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

Eu não percebo o que ele diz.
Não percebo o que ele diz.

Both are correct and very natural. The difference:

With Eu: you are emphasizing the subject, for example in contrast:
- Eu não percebo, mas tu percebes.
  I don’t understand, but you do.
Without Eu: more neutral, default everyday style.

So in many contexts, Não percebo o que ele diz will sound more natural.

What exactly is o que here? Why not just que?

In o que ele diz, you have:

que = relative/interrogative word (what / that / which)
o = a kind of pronoun/article that, together with que, makes a fixed expression o que meaning what (thing).

Roughly:

o que = what
que alone often = that / which

Compare:

Não percebo o que ele diz.
I don’t understand what he says.
Não percebo que ele diz.
This is incorrect in this sense.

Some contrasts:

o que disseste? = what did you say?
o livro que ele escreveu = the book that he wrote

So in this sentence you need o que to mean what as a thing / content.

Why is it o que ele diz and not o que diz ele?

The normal word order in European Portuguese is:

[o que] + [subject] + [verb]
o que ele diz

If you say o que diz ele, it sounds:

either very formal / literary, or
like a question in some contexts.

For learners, stick to:

Não percebo o que ele diz. (normal, everyday word order)

Why is it ele diz and not ele fala?

Both dizer and falar relate to speech, but they are used differently.

dizer = to say, to tell (focus on the content of what is said)
- o que ele diz = what he says (the words, the message)
falar = to speak, to talk (focus on the act of speaking or language ability)
- Ele fala rápido. = He speaks fast.
- Ele fala português. = He speaks Portuguese.

In Não percebo o que ele diz, you are talking about the content of his speech (his words, what he is saying), so diz is the natural choice.

If you said:

Não percebo quando ele fala.
This would mean something like I don’t understand when he speaks (more about the act / moments of speaking, and sounds less precise here).

Why is it ele diz and not ele está a dizer like English “he is saying”?

Portuguese does use a progressive form (estar a + infinitive in European Portuguese), but it’s less obligatory than in English.

ele diz can mean:
- he says (generally, habitually)
- he is saying (right now), depending on context

For a current ongoing action you can say:

Eu não percebo o que ele está a dizer.
I don’t understand what he is saying (right now).

But in many contexts, especially with verbs of speech, thought, feeling, etc., the simple present is used where English prefers the present continuous.

In your sentence, ele diz is perfectly natural even for a current, ongoing situation.

How do I pronounce percebo and diz in European Portuguese?

Very roughly in English-like sounds:

percebo ≈ pər-SEH-boo
- per‑: like English “pur” but shorter and tenser
- ‑ce‑: like seh (not “see”)
- ‑bo: in European Portuguese, final o is often close to u in “put” or a short “oo”.
diz ≈ deez but shorter and tenser
- The i is like ee, but the word is very short: almost like diss with a slightly higher vowel.

Main points:

Stress in percebo is on CE: perCEbo.
Final vowels in European Portuguese are often shorter and more closed than in English.

How would I say “I didn’t understand what he said” instead?

Use the past tense (pretérito perfeito) for both verbs:

Eu não percebi o que ele disse.
I didn’t understand what he said.

Breakdown:

percebi = I understood (past)
disse = he said (past of dizer)

You can also drop Eu:

Não percebi o que ele disse.

Can I say Eu não percebo aquilo que ele diz? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Eu não percebo aquilo que ele diz.

Aquilo que is roughly that which / that (thing) which. Nuances:

o que ele diz = what he says (neutral, very common)
aquilo que ele diz = that which he says / what he says,
often a bit more emphatic or slightly more formal, sometimes pointing to something more specific or previously mentioned.

In most everyday situations, o que ele diz is simpler and more natural, but aquilo que ele diz is correct and might sound a bit more careful or emphatic.

Could I make this more polite or softer, like “I’m not sure I understand what he says”?

Yes. Some more polite / softer versions:

Não tenho a certeza se percebo o que ele diz.
I’m not sure if I understand what he says.
Não percebi bem o que ele disse.
I didn’t quite understand what he said.
Acho que não percebo muito bem o que ele diz.
I think I don’t understand very well what he says.

Adding words like bem (well), acho que (I think that), or não tenho a certeza (I’m not sure) softens the statement and makes it more polite or less direct.

Can I replace ele with other pronouns, like ela, você or a name?

Yes. Ele is just the subject pronoun he. You can replace it with:

ela (she)
- Não percebo o que ela diz. = I don’t understand what she says.
você (you – more formal or regional in Portugal)
- Não percebo o que você diz. = I don’t understand what you say.
A name:
- Não percebo o que o João diz. = I don’t understand what João says.
- Não percebo o que a Maria diz. = I don’t understand what Maria says.

Remember that in Portugal, everyday informal you is usually tu, but in this structure you would more typically use:

Não percebo o que tu dizes.
(verb changes to match tu: dizes, not diz).