Depois do curso, quero continuar a aprender português.

After the course, I want to continue learning Portuguese.

Breakdown of Depois do curso, quero continuar a aprender português.

• querer: to want
• depois de: after
• aprender: to learn
• o português: the Portuguese
• o curso: the course
• continuar: to stay

Questions & Answers about Depois do curso, quero continuar a aprender português.

Why is it do curso and not de o curso?

Because do is the normal contraction of de + o in Portuguese.

• de = of / from / after in many contexts
• o = the (masculine singular)

So:

• de o curso → do curso

This kind of contraction is very common and usually mandatory in standard Portuguese.

Other similar contractions:

• de + a = da
• de + os = dos
• de + as = das

So Depois do curso literally breaks down as after the course.

Why is there no eu before quero?

Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here:

• quero = I want

The ending -o already tells you the subject is I, so eu is not necessary.

You could say:

• Depois do curso, eu quero continuar a aprender português.

But in many situations, especially when the subject is clear, Portuguese prefers to omit eu.

You usually add eu only for:

• emphasis
• contrast
• clarity

For example:

• Eu quero continuar, mas ele não.
  I want to continue, but he doesn’t.

Why is there an a in continuar a aprender?

After continuar, European Portuguese normally uses a + infinitive.

So:

• continuar a aprender = to continue learning

This is a very common structure in Portugal:

• continuar a estudar = continue studying
• começar a falar = begin to speak
• voltar a tentar = try again

In this sentence, a does not mean to in a simple one-word way. It is part of the verbal pattern continuar a + infinitive.

Can I say continuar aprendendo português instead?

In European Portuguese, the most natural form is:

• continuar a aprender português

The form with the gerund:

• continuar aprendendo português

is much more typical of Brazilian Portuguese.

So if you are learning Portuguese from Portugal, prefer:

• continuar a aprender

This is one of the most noticeable differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese:

• Portugal: often a + infinitive
• Brazil: often the gerund (-ndo form)

Why is it aprender português and not aprender o português?

When talking about learning a language in a general sense, Portuguese usually does not use the definite article.

So:

• aprender português = learn Portuguese

This is similar to:

• falar inglês = speak English
• estudar francês = study French

You might see an article in more specific contexts, but in a basic sentence like this, no article is the normal choice.

Why is português written with a lowercase letter?

In Portuguese, names of languages and nationalities are normally written with lowercase letters.

So:

• português
• inglês
• francês
• espanhol

This is different from English, where we write Portuguese, English, French, and so on with capital letters.

So aprender português is correct in Portuguese spelling.

What exactly does curso mean here?

Curso usually means course rather than a single class.

So:

• Depois do curso most naturally means After the course

If you wanted to say after the class/lesson, depending on context, Portuguese might use:

• depois da aula = after the lesson/class

So curso suggests something bigger or longer than one class:

• a course
• a training program
• a series of lessons

Is the comma after Depois do curso necessary?

The comma is natural and standard here because Depois do curso is an introductory time expression.

So the sentence is neatly divided like this:

• Depois do curso, = after the course
• quero continuar a aprender português. = I want to continue learning Portuguese.

You may sometimes see short introductory phrases without a comma, especially in informal writing, but with this sentence the comma is a good and natural choice.

Could the sentence be Quero continuar a aprender português depois do curso instead?

Yes. That is also correct.

Both are grammatical:

• Depois do curso, quero continuar a aprender português.
• Quero continuar a aprender português depois do curso.

The difference is mainly one of focus and style.

• Depois do curso, ... puts the time idea first.
• Quero continuar ... depois do curso starts with the main statement and adds the time at the end.

The original version sounds very natural if you want to emphasize when this will happen.

What form is aprender, and why is it not changed?

Aprender is in the infinitive form, meaning the basic dictionary form of the verb: to learn.

After verbs like quero and expressions like continuar a, Portuguese uses the infinitive:

• quero aprender = I want to learn
• quero continuar a aprender = I want to continue learning

So the structure is:

• quero = I want
• continuar = to continue
• a aprender = learning / to learn

Portuguese often stacks verbs in this way, with only the first one conjugated:

• quero continuar a aprender
• literally: I want to continue to learn

Why is quero in the present tense if the action is in the future?

Because quero expresses a present desire or intention.

• quero = I want
• The wanting happens now
• The continuing/learning is something the speaker intends to do later

This is very natural in both Portuguese and English:

• I want to continue learning Portuguese after the course.

So the sentence does not need a future tense. It is talking about a present wish regarding the future.

How would this sentence sound in a more literal word-for-word breakdown?

A helpful rough breakdown is:

• Depois = after
• do curso = the course / of the course
• quero = I want
• continuar = to continue
• a aprender = learning / to learn
• português = Portuguese

So very literally:

• After the course, I want to continue to learn Portuguese.

Natural English:

• After the course, I want to continue learning Portuguese.