De manhã, subi o estore devagar e vi que o pátio estava cheio de água.

De manhã usually means in the morning.

In a sentence like this, it often refers to that morning in the story context, so English may translate it as this morning or simply in the morning, depending on the situation.

A useful contrast:

• de manhã = in the morning
• à tarde = in the afternoon
• à noite = at night / in the evening

So De manhã, subi o estore... is a very natural way to begin a narration.

Estore in European Portuguese usually means a blind or window shade, not a curtain.

So:

• estore = blind / shade
• cortina = curtain

That is why subi o estore means I raised the blind.

This is a very European Portuguese kind of word. A learner used to Brazilian Portuguese may not see it as often there.

Yes. In this kind of sentence, subir can be used transitively in Portuguese, especially with things like blinds, shutters, or other objects that move upward.

So:

• subi o estore = I raised the blind
• literally, something like I made the blind go up

English often uses a different verb, like raise or pull up, but Portuguese naturally uses subir here.

Devagar means slowly, and it modifies the action subi.

In Portuguese, adverbs often have flexible placement. So subi o estore devagar is perfectly natural.

You could also hear:

• De manhã, devagar, subi o estore...
• De manhã, subi devagar o estore...

But subi o estore devagar sounds very normal and smooth.

This is a very important tense contrast in Portuguese.

• subi = I raised → completed action
• vi = I saw → completed action
• estava = was → background state or situation

So the sentence structure is:

• first, two completed actions happened: I raised the blind and I saw
• what I saw was an ongoing state: the patio was full of water

This is exactly the kind of situation where Portuguese uses:

• pretérito perfeito for finished actions
• pretérito imperfeito for descriptions, background, or ongoing states

Yes. Vi is the 1st person singular preterite of ver (to see).

Conjugation in the preterite:

• eu vi = I saw
• tu viste
• ele/ela viu
• nós vimos
• vós vistes
• eles/elas viram

It is irregular, so you just have to learn it as a form of ver.

Here que means that.

So:

• vi que... = I saw that...

It introduces a subordinate clause explaining what the speaker saw.

Structure:

• vi = I saw
• que o pátio estava cheio de água = that the patio was full of water

In English, that is often optional:

• I saw that the patio was full of water
• I saw the patio was full of water

In Portuguese, que is normally kept.

Portuguese uses definite articles more often than English.

So where English might say:

• I raised the blind
• the patio was full of water

Portuguese naturally says:

• o estore
• o pátio

The article often points to a specific, known thing in the context:

• the blind of that room/window
• the patio of that house

This is completely normal in Portuguese and does not usually sound overly definite.

Because cheio normally takes de in Portuguese.

So:

• cheio de água = full of water
• cheio de gente = full of people
• cheio de pó = full of dust

Using com here would sound unnatural in standard Portuguese for this meaning.

In this sentence, estava cheio de água usually means it was full of water or more naturally in English, it was flooded / covered with a lot of water.

With places like pátio, quarto, rua, or chão, cheio de água does not always mean literally filled to the top. It often means there was water everywhere.

So in context:

• o pátio estava cheio de água = the patio had a lot of water in it / the patio was flooded

Because estar is used for a temporary or resulting state.

Here, the patio was in a certain condition at that moment:

• estava cheio de água = it was full of water

Using ser would not fit well here, because this is not a permanent characteristic of the patio.

Compare:

• O pátio estava cheio de água. = The patio was full of water.
• O pátio era grande. = The patio was big.

So estar is the right choice for a temporary state.

Yes, in many contexts levantei o estore would also be understood and can sound natural.

But subir o estore is very idiomatic in European Portuguese for raising a blind.

So:

• subi o estore = very natural
• levantei o estore = also possible, depending on speaker and context

A learner should definitely recognize subir o estore as a common real-life expression.

Pátio usually means patio, courtyard, or an open paved area attached to or inside a building.

Depending on context, it could be:

• a backyard patio
• an inner courtyard
• a paved outdoor area

So the exact English translation depends on the setting, but patio or courtyard are the most likely choices.

This order is the most neutral and natural.

Standard structure:

• vi = I saw
• que = that
• o pátio = the subject of the subordinate clause
• estava cheio de água = was full of water

You could change word order in special contexts for emphasis, but this version is the normal one learners should copy.

A very natural English version would be:

• In the morning, I slowly raised the blind and saw that the patio was full of water.

Depending on context, you could also say:

• This morning, I slowly pulled up the blind and saw that the patio was flooded.

That helps show how Portuguese and English may choose slightly different everyday wording even when the basic meaning is the same.