Eu vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje.

Breakdown of Eu vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje.

eu
I
hoje
today
meu
my
ir
to go
uma
a
em
on
a fotografia
the photograph
o perfil
the profile
publicar
to post
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Questions & Answers about Eu vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje.

Why do we say Eu vou publicar instead of just Eu publico here?

Eu vou publicar is the near future: I am going to publish / I’m going to post (a plan or intention).

  • Eu publico uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje would sound more like a habit or a scheduled routine: I publish a photo on my profile today (odd in English too, unless it’s a timetable).
  • In European Portuguese, ir + infinitive (vou publicar) is the most common way to talk about a future action, especially a near or planned one.

So Eu vou publicar matches natural English I’m going to post.

Could I drop the Eu and just say Vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje?

Yes, and that’s actually more natural in many contexts.

  • Portuguese is a “pro-drop” language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.
  • Eu vou publicar… and Vou publicar… mean the same thing.
    • Eu is often used for emphasis:
      • Eu vou publicar… = I am going to post (as opposed to someone else).

In everyday speech, Vou publicar uma fotografia… is perfectly normal.

What exactly is the grammar pattern in vou publicar?

The pattern is:

ir (conjugated) + infinitive

  • ir = to go
  • Here: vou = I go / I am going
  • publicar = infinitive to publish

So Eu vou publicar literally is I am going to publish, used as a future tense, just like English “going to” future.

Other persons:

  • Eu vou publicar – I’m going to publish
  • Tu vais publicar – You’re going to publish (singular, informal)
  • Ele / Ela vai publicar – He / She is going to publish
  • Nós vamos publicar – We’re going to publish
  • Vocês vão publicar – You (plural) are going to publish
  • Eles / Elas vão publicar – They’re going to publish
Is there a different future tense for publicar? How is vou publicar different from publicarei?

Yes, there’s a synthetic future:

  • publicarei = I will publish

Differences:

  • Vou publicar

    • Most common in speech.
    • Neutral, natural, used for most future actions, especially near or planned future.
  • Publicarei

    • Feels more formal, more written than spoken.
    • Often appears in announcements, official statements, formal writing.

In everyday European Portuguese, vou publicar is much more frequent than publicarei.

Why is it uma fotografia and not um fotografia?

Because fotografia is a feminine noun in Portuguese.

  • Feminine nouns usually take a / uma.
  • Masculine nouns usually take o / um.

So:

  • uma fotografia – a photograph
  • a fotografia – the photograph

You can’t say um fotografia; that would be grammatically incorrect.

Could I say uma foto instead of uma fotografia? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say uma foto, and that’s very common and a bit more informal/colloquial.

  • fotografia = photograph (more complete, neutral word)
  • foto = shortened form, like English photo / pic

Both are correct:

  • Vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje.
  • Vou publicar uma foto no meu perfil hoje.

Meaning is essentially the same here.

Why do we say no meu perfil and not em o meu perfil?

No is a contraction of the preposition em (in/on/at) and the masculine singular article o (the):

  • em + o = no

So:

  • em o meu perfilno meu perfil

This is mandatory in normal speech and writing; you don’t say em o meu perfil.

Similarly:

  • na minha página = em + a página (feminine)
  • nos meus perfis = em + os perfis (plural)
Why is it no meu perfil and not no perfil meu or just meu perfil?

Three points:

  1. Word order with possessives
    The most common order is article + possessive + noun:

    • o meu perfil – my profile
    • no meu perfil – on my profile

    Perfil meu is possible but sounds poetic or emphatic, not normal everyday speech in this context.

  2. Use of the article with possessives
    In European Portuguese, we normally include the definite article:

    • o meu perfil, a minha casa
      Dropping the article (meu perfil) is more typical in Brazilian Portuguese.
  3. You could sometimes drop meu:

    • Vou publicar uma fotografia no perfil hoje.
      That would mean on the profile (relying on context to know whose), but no meu perfil is clearer: on my profile.
Can I put hoje in a different place in the sentence?

Yes. Hoje (today) is quite flexible in position. All of these are correct, with slightly different emphasis:

  • Hoje vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil.
    Emphasis on today; good at the start of a sentence.

  • Vou publicar hoje uma fotografia no meu perfil.
  • Vou publicar uma fotografia hoje no meu perfil.
  • Vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje. (your version)

All are acceptable in European Portuguese. The differences are subtle and mostly about rhythm and focus, not about grammar.

Could I say Hoje vou publicar instead of Eu vou publicar... hoje?

Yes, and that sounds very natural:

  • Hoje vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil.

Compared to:

  • Eu vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje.

Starting with Hoje is often nicer stylistically and focuses on the day: Today, I’m going to post…

Why is it perfil and not something like conta or página?

It depends on what exactly you mean:

  • perfil = profile (your user profile, like on Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
  • página = page (can be personal, a company page, a fan page, etc.)
  • conta = account (the login account, not the visible profile itself)

For social media, if you mean on my profile, no meu perfil is the most direct and natural.

You could also say:

  • Vou publicar uma fotografia na minha página. – if you have a specific page (e.g., business page).
Can I use postar instead of publicar in European Portuguese?

You will hear postar in Portugal (borrowed from English to post), especially among younger speakers and online, but:

  • publicar is more standard and neutral.
  • postar feels slangy/colloquial and is much more widespread in Brazil.

For safe, correct European Portuguese, especially in writing or with mixed audiences, publicar is the better choice:

  • Vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje.
  • Vou postar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje. ✅ but more informal / influenced by Brazilian usage.
What’s the difference between Vou publicar and Estou a publicar?
  • Vou publicar = I’m going to publish (future, plan or intention).
  • Estou a publicar = I’m publishing / I’m posting (right now).

In European Portuguese, the present continuous is usually formed with estar + a + infinitive:

  • Estou a publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil.
    → I am in the process of publishing a photo on my profile (this is happening now).

So:

  • Talking about a future action, later todayVou publicar…
  • Talking about something you are doing right this momentEstou a publicar…
How do I pronounce vou publicar uma fotografia no meu perfil hoje in European Portuguese?

Very roughly, in an English-friendly approximation (European accent):

  • vou – like English “voh” (long o)
  • publicarpoo-blee-KAR

    • stress on the last syllable: -car
    • final r is a soft, almost silent [ɾ] or light flap.
  • umaOO-ma
  • fotografiafo-too-gra-FEE-a

    • stress on fi: -fia
  • no – like “noh”, long o
  • meu – somewhere between “meh-oo” and English “mayo”, but shorter
  • perfilper-FEEL (again, final l is darker than English)

  • hojeOH-zh(ɨ)

    • j = zh sound (like measure)
    • final e is very reduced, almost like uh or barely pronounced

Spoken naturally, words will link together, and many unstressed vowels shorten or reduce, but this gives you a good starting point.