Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Hoje a manga do meu casaco cheira a café. - Today the sleeve of my coat smells like coffee.

You know it means sleeve here because it’s followed by do meu casaco (of my coat). Coats have sleeves, not mangos, so the context makes the meaning clear.

Why is it a manga do meu casaco and not something like a manga de meu casaco?

Portuguese almost always keeps the definite article with possessives when they come after de.

de + o = do
de + a = da

So:

a manga do meu casaco = literally the sleeve of the my coat
(natural Portuguese, odd English)
a manga de meu casaco sounds very unnatural in European Portuguese.

The normal pattern is:

o livro do meu amigo (the book of my friend)
a porta da minha casa (the door of my house)

So do meu casaco is the standard, idiomatic structure.

Why is it meu casaco and not minha casaco?

The possessive agrees with the grammatical gender of the noun, not with the gender of the owner.

casaco is a masculine noun (o casaco).
So you must use the masculine possessive: meu casaco.
The feminine form minha is used with feminine nouns:
- a minha camisa (my shirt)
- a minha mala (my suitcase)

So:

o meu casaco (my coat)
a minha camisola (my sweater)

What is the exact function of do in manga do meu casaco?

do is a contraction:

de (of, from) + o (the, masculine singular) → do

So literally:

a manga do meu casaco = the sleeve of the my coat

In English, we usually say the sleeve of my coat, but in Portuguese the article o is kept:

do meu casaco (of the my coat)

Other similar contractions:

de + a = da → a porta da minha casa (the door of my house)
em + o = no → no casaco (in/on the coat)
em + a = na → na manga (in/on the sleeve)

Why is it cheira a café and not something like cheira de café?

With smells, Portuguese uses the structure:

cheirar a + noun = to smell of / to smell like

So:

cheira a café = it smells of / like coffee
cheira a fumo = it smells of smoke
cheira a perfume = it smells of perfume

The pattern cheirar de is not used with this meaning. If you want to say smells like X, use cheirar a X.

Can cheirar also mean “to smell (sniff) something” directly, without a?

Yes. Cheirar has two main patterns:

Intransitive + a = to smell (of/like)
- O quarto cheira a mofo. = The room smells of mold.
- A manga do meu casaco cheira a café. = The sleeve of my coat smells of coffee.
Transitive (direct object) = to sniff / to smell something
- Cheira este café. = Smell this coffee.
- O cão está a cheirar o casaco. = The dog is smelling the coat.

So cheirar a café = to have the smell of coffee,
but cheirar café = to smell/sniff coffee.

Why is the preposition a used before café? Could I say cheira café?

With the meaning to smell like / of, Portuguese requires a:

cheirar a café
cheirar a flores
cheirar a gasolina

If you drop a and say cheira café, it is normally understood as:

(someone) is smelling/sniffing coffee, not it smells of coffee.

So:

A manga cheira a café. = The sleeve smells of coffee.
Ele cheira café. = He smells/sniffs coffee.

Could I say Hoje, a manga do meu casaco cheira a café with a comma after Hoje?

Yes, you can. Both are possible:

Hoje a manga do meu casaco cheira a café.
Hoje, a manga do meu casaco cheira a café.

In short sentences, many native speakers omit the comma after a short time adverb (hoje, amanhã, ontem). With or without the comma, the meaning is the same here.

In longer or more complex sentences, a comma after hoje is more likely.

Can hoje go at the end, like in English “…smells of coffee today”?

Yes. You can also say:

A manga do meu casaco cheira a café hoje.

All of these are acceptable:

Hoje a manga do meu casaco cheira a café.
A manga do meu casaco hoje cheira a café. (less common, but possible)
A manga do meu casaco cheira a café hoje.

The most neutral are usually:

Hoje a manga do meu casaco cheira a café.
A manga do meu casaco cheira a café hoje.

If both sleeves smell of coffee, how do I say that?

You need a plural subject and plural verb:

Hoje as mangas do meu casaco cheiram a café.

Changes:

a manga → as mangas (plural)
cheira → cheiram (3rd person plural, to agree with mangas)

Why is the verb cheira singular here?

The verb agrees with the subject, which is a manga do meu casaco.

Subject: a manga (singular)
Verb: cheira (3rd person singular of cheirar)

Structure:

[Hoje] [a manga do meu casaco] [cheira] [a café].

If the subject were plural (as mangas), the verb would also be plural (cheiram).

What’s the difference between casaco and jaqueta or blusão in European Portuguese?

In European Portuguese:

casaco is the most general word for a coat or jacket (anything you put on over your top layer to keep warm or for style).
blusão often suggests a shorter, thicker jacket (like a bomber or winter jacket).
jaqueta is used but less frequently than in Brazilian Portuguese; it often refers to specific types of jackets (e.g., jaqueta de ganga = denim jacket).

In this sentence, casaco is perfectly natural and neutral: my coat/jacket.

Could I just say Hoje a manga cheira a café and leave out do meu casaco?

Grammatically, yes:

Hoje a manga cheira a café. = Today the sleeve smells of coffee.

But without context, it’s unclear which sleeve (shirt? coat? sweater?).
Adding do meu casaco clarifies:

It’s the sleeve of my coat.

In a context where it’s obvious what you’re talking about (you’re holding your coat up, pointing at the sleeve), Hoje a manga cheira a café could be enough.

Is this sentence specifically European Portuguese, or would Brazilians say it the same way?

The sentence is perfectly understandable in Brazil, but there are some tendencies:

In European Portuguese, cheirar a café is very natural.
In Brazilian Portuguese, people also say cheirar a café, but you often hear cheiro de café with the noun cheiro:
- Hoje a manga do meu casaco está com cheiro de café.

So:

Portugal: Hoje a manga do meu casaco cheira a café.
Brazil: same is correct, but está com cheiro de café is very common in speech.

Since you’re learning Portuguese from Portugal, cheira a café is exactly what you want.