Eles seguem um itinerário simples: caminhar pelo trilho costeiro de manhã e nadar à tarde.

They follow a simple itinerary: walk along the coastal trail in the morning and swim in the afternoon.

Breakdown of Eles seguem um itinerário simples: caminhar pelo trilho costeiro de manhã e nadar à tarde.

• um: a
• a manhã: the morning
• eles: they
• e: and
• caminhar: to walk
• simples: simple
• seguir: to follow
• o trilho: the trail
• a tarde: the afternoon
• nadar: to swim
• o itinerário: the itinerary
• pelo: along
• costeiro: coastal

Questions & Answers about Eles seguem um itinerário simples: caminhar pelo trilho costeiro de manhã e nadar à tarde.

Why are caminhar and nadar in the infinitive instead of conjugated (e.g. caminham, nadam)?

In Portuguese, the infinitive is often used after a colon to list planned or typical activities, almost like labels:

• Eles seguem um itinerário simples: caminhar … e nadar …
  → “They follow a simple itinerary: walking … and swimming …”

Here, caminhar and nadar function like nouns (similar to English walking, swimming).

You could say:

• Eles seguem um itinerário simples: caminham pelo trilho costeiro de manhã e nadam à tarde.

This is grammatically correct, but it sounds less like a “plan/list of activities” and more like a simple description of what they (in fact) do. The infinitive version emphasizes the structure or plan of the day.

What exactly is pelo in pelo trilho costeiro?

Pelo is a contraction of the preposition por + the masculine singular definite article o:

• por + o = pelo
• por + a = pela
• por + os = pelos
• por + as = pelas

So pelo trilho costeiro = por o trilho costeiro = “along the coastal trail / through the coastal trail”.

You do not normally say por o trilho in speech or writing; you must contract it to pelo trilho in standard Portuguese.

What is the nuance of trilho in Portugal? Could I say caminho or trilha instead?

In European Portuguese:

• trilho is very common for a hiking/walking path, especially in nature (marked trails, coastal paths, mountain trails).
• caminho is more general: “way”, “route”, “path” (can be physical or figurative).
• trilha is much more Brazilian; in Portugal it can be understood but sounds Brazilian to many speakers.

So for a coastal hiking route in Portugal, trilho costeiro is the most natural expression.
Caminho costeiro is possible but a bit more generic and less “hiking-specific” in feel.

Why is costeiro used, and how does it agree with trilho?

Costeiro means “coastal”, “related to the coast”.

In Portuguese, adjectives usually agree in gender and number with the noun they modify:

• o trilho costeiro (masculine singular)
• os trilhos costeiros (masculine plural)
• a estrada costeira (feminine singular)
• as estradas costeiras (feminine plural)

Here, trilho is masculine singular, so the adjective is also masculine singular: costeiro.
Saying trilha costeira would be feminine, but again, trilha is the Brazilian word; in Portugal, trilho costeiro is preferred.

Why is it de manhã but à tarde? What’s the difference?

These are fixed time expressions:

• de manhã → “in the morning”
• à tarde → “in the afternoon”

They are formed differently:

1. de manhã

   • Literally “of morning”.
   • Very common and natural in both Portugal and Brazil for “in the morning”.
   • You don’t normally say na manhã for the general time of day; na manhã would refer to a specific morning (“on the morning of…”).

2. à tarde

   • This à is a contraction of a + a with a grave accent (called crase):
     • a + a tarde → à tarde
   • Literally “at the afternoon”, but idiomatically “in the afternoon”.
   • You do not say a tarde without the accent in this expression.

So the difference is mostly idiomatic and historical usage: some time expressions use de, others use a (with crase). You just need to learn them as standard phrases:

• de manhã, de noite, de madrugada
• à tarde, à noite (also possible and common)

What exactly does the accent in à tarde indicate?

The grave accent in à shows a contraction of two “a”s:

• preposition a (“to/at”)
• feminine singular article a (“the”)
  = à

So:

• à tarde = a + a tarde → “in the afternoon”
• à noite = a + a noite → “at night / in the evening”

You should always write this accent in such expressions. Writing a tarde without the accent is considered incorrect here.

Why is it um itinerário simples and not o itinerário simples?

Um is the indefinite article (“a / an”), while o is the definite article (“the”).

• Eles seguem um itinerário simples…

  • “They follow a simple itinerary…”
  • This presents the itinerary as one of several possible options, not previously identified in the conversation.

• Eles seguem o itinerário simples…

  • “They follow the simple itinerary…”
  • This would refer to a specific itinerary that the speaker and listener already know about (e.g. the one in a guidebook with different graded routes).

In the given sentence, um itinerário simples introduces the idea of “a simple daily plan in general”, so the indefinite article is the natural choice.

Can simples go before itinerário? Would um simples itinerário be different?

Yes, simples can go before or after the noun, but the nuance changes slightly:

• um itinerário simples

  • Neutral description: “a simple itinerary” (not complex).
  • The adjective after the noun is the default position.

• um simples itinerário

  • Has a more emotional or rhetorical tone: “just a simple itinerary / merely an itinerary”, sometimes minimizing its importance.
  • Adjectives before the noun in Portuguese often add a subjective or emphatic nuance.

In normal, neutral description of a plan, um itinerário simples (adjective after the noun) is the most natural.

Does simples change form in the plural or with feminine nouns?

No. Simples is one of the adjectives that is invariable in gender and number:

• um itinerário simples (masc. sing.)
• uma rota simples (fem. sing.)
• itinerários simples (masc. plural)
• rotas simples (fem. plural)

The form is always simples, never simpres or simplos, etc.

Is it necessary to use the subject pronoun Eles, or could I just say Seguem um itinerário simples…?

In Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending usually shows who the subject is:

• Seguem um itinerário simples: caminhar…
  • Grammatically OK.
  • In isolation, this could mean they follow or you (plural) follow, depending on context.

Using Eles makes the subject explicit and avoids ambiguity, especially when:

• The sentence is at the start of a text, with no prior context.
• There could be confusion between eles (they) and vocês (you plural), which share the same verb forms in many tenses.

So: it’s not strictly required, but Eles seguem… is very natural and clear.

How is itinerário pronounced and why does it have an accent?

Pronunciation (European Portuguese approximate):

• itinerário → [ee-ti-neh-RAH-ryu] (the exact vowel quality varies by region)

The accent mark on rá (itinerário) shows:

1. Where the stress falls: on the á syllable (ti-ne-rá-rio).
2. That the vowel á is open /a/ rather than the unstressed /ɐ/ or other reduced vowel.

Without the accent, by default the stress would fall on the second-to-last syllable (itine-rá-rio is not a regular pattern), so the accent is needed to indicate the correct stressed syllable.

Why is a colon (:) used after um itinerário simples?

The colon introduces an explanation or elaboration of what “a simple itinerary” actually consists of:

• Eles seguem um itinerário simples: caminhar… e nadar…

You can think of it as:

• “They follow a simple itinerary, namely: walking … and swimming …”

This structure is common in Portuguese to introduce lists, examples, or clarifications, and it is very similar to English usage of the colon.

Is the word order caminhar pelo trilho costeiro de manhã e nadar à tarde fixed, or can I move de manhã and à tarde?

The given order is the most natural, but some variation is possible:

• De manhã, caminhar pelo trilho costeiro e, à tarde, nadar.
  (More formal/literary feel.)
• Caminhar de manhã pelo trilho costeiro e nadar à tarde.
  (Still acceptable; the focus changes slightly.)

However, keeping the time expressions very close to their verbs is usually clearest:

• caminhar [pelo trilho costeiro] [de manhã]
• nadar [à tarde]

The original word order is idiomatic and natural in European Portuguese.