Na reunião, o diretor falou do novo projeto.

At the meeting, the director spoke about the new project.

Breakdown of Na reunião, o diretor falou do novo projeto.

• novo: new
• em: at
• o projeto: the project
• falar: to speak
• a reunião: the meeting
• o diretor: the director
• do: of

Questions & Answers about Na reunião, o diretor falou do novo projeto.

Why is it na reunião instead of em a reunião?

Because Portuguese normally contracts em + a into na.

• em = in / at
• a = the (feminine singular)
• na = in the / at the

So:

• na reunião = at the meeting / in the meeting

This is very common in Portuguese:

• no escritório = em + o
• na escola = em + a
• nos livros = em + os
• nas casas = em + as

How do I know that reunião is feminine?

You know it because the correct article is a: a reunião.

In Portuguese, noun endings do not always reliably tell you the gender, so it is best to learn nouns together with their article:

• a reunião
• o projeto
• o diretor

This is especially important with words ending in -ão, because they can be either masculine or feminine:

• o irmão
• o coração
• a televisão
• a reunião

So here, because it is a reunião, em + a becomes na.

Why is there a comma after Na reunião?

Na reunião is an introductory phrase that sets the scene: it tells us where/when the action happened.

The comma is used to separate that opening phrase from the main clause:

• Na reunião, o diretor falou do novo projeto.

This is natural and clear. In many cases, especially with short introductory phrases, Portuguese can also omit the comma:

• Na reunião o diretor falou do novo projeto.

Both are possible, but the version with the comma gives a slightly clearer pause.

Why is it o diretor and not just diretor?

Because Portuguese usually uses the definite article with a specific person or thing in a normal sentence.

• o diretor = the director

In English, you sometimes omit articles in places where Portuguese would not. In Portuguese, saying just diretor here would sound incomplete or unnatural in ordinary prose.

So:

• o diretor falou... = the director spoke...

If it were not a specific director, you could have:

• um diretor = a director

What tense is falou?

Falou is the pretérito perfeito simples of falar.

It is:

• 3rd person singular
• used for a completed action in the past

So:

• ele falou = he spoke / he talked

In this sentence, o diretor falou means the speaking happened and is seen as a finished event.

A few forms of falar in this tense:

• eu falei
• tu falaste
• ele/ela falou
• nós falámos
• vós falastes
• eles/elas falaram

Why is it falou do novo projeto? What does do mean here?

Here, do is the contraction of de + o.

• de can mean about / of
• o = the
• do = about the / of the

With the verb falar, Portuguese very often uses falar de to mean to talk about.

So:

• falou do novo projeto = talked about the new project

This is one of the most useful patterns to remember:

• falar de alguma coisa = to talk about something

Could I also say falou sobre o novo projeto?

Yes. Falou sobre o novo projeto is also correct.

Both are possible, but there is a slight difference in feel:

• falar de = very common, natural, everyday way to say talk about
• falar sobre = also means talk about, but can sound a bit more explicit or slightly more formal

In European Portuguese, falar de is extremely common in normal speech.

There is also:

• falar em = often to mention

So these can differ slightly:

• falou do projeto = talked about the project
• falou sobre o projeto = spoke about the project
• falou no projeto = mentioned the project

Why is it novo projeto and not projeto novo?

In Portuguese, adjectives can often go before or after the noun, but the position may change the nuance.

• novo projeto is the most natural, neutral way to say new project
• projeto novo is possible, but it can sound more contrastive or more focused on the idea that the project is new rather than old

For a learner, the safest choice here is:

• o novo projeto

That is the normal order you will hear very often with novo.

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Portuguese allows some flexibility in word order.

For example:

• Na reunião, o diretor falou do novo projeto.
• O diretor falou do novo projeto na reunião.

Both are correct. The difference is mainly one of focus:

• Na reunião, ... puts the meeting first and sets the scene
• O diretor falou ... na reunião starts with the subject and adds the setting later

The original sentence sounds very natural because it begins with the context.

Is falou de always best translated as talked about?

Usually, yes, in a sentence like this.

• falou do novo projeto most naturally means talked about the new project

Depending on context, English might sometimes translate it as:

• spoke about
• talked about
• mentioned

But the core idea is that the director was speaking on that topic. In most learner contexts, talked about the new project is the best match.

Do the accent marks in reunião matter?

Yes, they matter a lot.

In reunião, the ending -ão is a very common Portuguese ending and it is pronounced as a nasal sound. The accent marks are not optional decoration; they are part of the spelling and pronunciation.

So you should write:

• reunião

not:

• reuniao

For learners, it is worth recognizing -ão as a very common pattern in Portuguese:

• reunião
• informação
• decisão
• situação

In European Portuguese, this ending has a distinct nasal pronunciation that English does not really have in the same way.