Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Agora, a biblioteca reabriu com menos lugares, para manter distância durante a pandemia. - Now the library has reopened with fewer seats, to keep distance during the pandemic.

the 3rd person singular, pretérito perfeito (simple past) of reabrir (to reopen).
literally: “(it) reopened” / “(he/she) reopened”.

In this sentence, the subject is a biblioteca, so:

a biblioteca reabriu = the library reopened (completed action in the past).

It describes a finished event: the library was closed, and at some point it reopened.

Could I say a biblioteca abriu de novo instead of a biblioteca reabriu? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say both, but there’s a nuance:

a biblioteca reabriu – uses the verb reabrir (to reopen).
- More concise and sounds a bit more formal / neutral.
a biblioteca abriu de novo – literally “the library opened again”.
- Slightly more colloquial; emphasises the repetition of the action.

In most everyday contexts, they’re interchangeable, but in written announcements, news, or official communication, reabriu and reabertura are more common.

Why is there a comma after Agora?

Agora here is an introductory adverb (“Now,”) that sets the time frame for the whole sentence.

In European Portuguese, it’s very common (and stylistically natural) to put a comma after an introductory element, especially:

adverbs of time: Agora,, Ontem,, Depois, …
short introductory phrases.

So:

Agora, a biblioteca reabriu…
= “Now, the library has reopened…”

You could also write it without the comma in informal contexts (Agora a biblioteca reabriu…), but the comma is standard and clear.

Why is it a biblioteca and not o biblioteca? How do I know the gender?

Biblioteca is a feminine noun in Portuguese, so it takes the feminine article a:

a biblioteca = the library
as bibliotecas = the libraries

You can’t predict the gender of every noun from its ending, but there are tendencies:

Many nouns ending in -a are feminine: a porta, a janela, a casa, a biblioteca.
Many ending in -o are masculine: o livro, o carro, o aluno.

There are exceptions in both groups, so you generally memorise gender together with the noun:
a biblioteca (f.), o museu (m.), a escola (f.), o edifício (m.).

What does com menos lugares literally mean, and why lugares for “seats”?

Literally:

com menos lugares = “with fewer places”.

Here, lugares means places to sit / places available. In many contexts:

lugar = seat, spot, place (e.g. in a cinema, theatre, classroom).

So com menos lugares implies:

fewer seats / spots are available for users,
to allow more distance between people.

You could also see:

com menos lugares disponíveis – with fewer available places/seats.
com menos lugares sentados – with fewer seated places (less common in everyday speech, more descriptive).

But com menos lugares is natural and concise.

In English we say “fewer seats” (countable), not “less seats”. Why does Portuguese use menos for everything?

Portuguese doesn’t distinguish fewer vs less the way English does. The word menos is used for both:

countable: menos lugares, menos pessoas, menos livros
uncountable: menos água, menos tempo, menos dinheiro

So:

menos lugares → “fewer seats/places”
menos água → “less water”

There’s no separate everyday word like English fewer; menos covers both ideas.

Why is it para manter distância and not para manterem distância or another conjugated form?

Portuguese uses the infinitive after para to express purpose:

para + infinitive = in order to + verb

So:

para manter distância = in order to keep distance / to maintain distance.

This is an impersonal infinitive: it doesn’t specify who is keeping distance; it’s general (people in the library, users, everyone).

You could use a personal infinitive if you explicitly wanted to mark the subject:

para mantermos distância – for us to keep distance
para manterem distância – for them to keep distance

But in a general rule or explanation (like a sign, announcement, or narration), the impersonal form para manter distância is the usual, natural choice.

Why is there no article before distância? Could I say para manter a distância?

Both forms are possible, but they feel slightly different:

para manter distância
- no article, very generic / abstract: “to keep distance (in general)”.
para manter a distância
- with article, sounds more like a specific distance in mind:
  “to keep the distance”.

In health / pandemic contexts, you often see both, but:

manter distância is a common fixed-style expression meaning “to keep (some) distance”.
manter a distância highlights the required or recommended distance (e.g. 2 metres).

In this sentence, para manter distância sounds slightly more general and idiomatic, but para manter a distância would also be acceptable.

What’s the difference between durante a pandemia and na pandemia?

Both relate to the time period of the pandemic, but usage differs:

durante a pandemia = during the pandemic
- Emphasises the duration of that whole period.
na pandemia = in the pandemic / during the pandemic
- More colloquial; focuses on the context (“in that situation / in those times”).

In this sentence:

para manter distância durante a pandemia
is the most neutral and standard way to say “to keep distance during the pandemic”.

You could say na pandemia in conversation, but durante a pandemia sounds more natural in a descriptive or semi-formal context.

Could Agora be replaced with Já or Neste momento? Would the meaning change?

All three are possible, but with different flavours:

Agora, a biblioteca reabriu…
- “Now, the library has reopened…”
- Neutral “now”, can mean “recently” or “at this point in time”.
Já a biblioteca reabriu…
- já often means “already”.
- Here, it would sound like “the library has already reopened”, often in contrast to something else (e.g. other places that are still closed).
- The tone/structure would usually need to be adjusted; just swapping Agora → Já isn’t always natural without context.
Neste momento, a biblioteca reabriu…
- Literally “At this moment, the library reopened…”
- The aspect is a bit odd with the past (reabriu). You’d more naturally say:
  - Neste momento, a biblioteca está aberta – Right now, the library is open.
  - Neste momento, a biblioteca reabriu com menos lugares sounds slightly off; it mixes “right now” with a completed past action.

So in this exact sentence, Agora is the most natural choice.

Could I say A biblioteca reabriu agora instead of starting with Agora, a biblioteca reabriu?

Yes, but the focus shifts slightly.

Agora, a biblioteca reabriu…
- Topic order: time first, then what happened.
- Sounds like a narrative or announcement: “Now, the library has reopened…”
A biblioteca reabriu agora…
- Puts emphasis on when it reopened: now / just now / recently.
- In speech, agora at the end can suggest very recently (similar to “just now”).

Both are grammatical. In writing, starting with Agora, feels more like a structured statement introducing a situation.

How do I pronounce reabriu and lugares in European Portuguese?

In European Portuguese:

reabriu
- Syllables: re-a-briu (3 syllables, but in fast speech, re-a often blends).
- Rough guide:
  - re – like a very short “reh” or even reduced to something like “r” + schwa.
  - a – like “uh”/“ah”, short.
  - briu – like “bree-oo”, often compressed to “breew”.
- Overall something like: reh‑uh‑BREEW (stress on briu).
lugares
- Syllables: lu-ga-res.
- lu – “loo”
- ga – “gah” (short)
- res – in European Portuguese final -es is often reduced; the s is usually a sh sound /ʃ/ at the end of a word.
- So roughly: loo‑GA‑resh, stress on GA.

This is just an approximation; actual European Portuguese is more reduced and less clearly vowelled than English.