Questions & Answers about Não te preocupes com isso agora.
Why is there a te in Não te preocupes?
Because preocupar-se is a pronominal/reflexive verb in Portuguese when it means to worry.
So the basic pattern is:
- preocupar-se = to worry
- preocupar-te = to worry yourself
- preocupar-me = to worry myself
In this sentence, te shows that the speaker is talking to you in the tu form:
- Não te preocupes = Don’t worry
English does not usually use a reflexive pronoun here, but Portuguese does.
Why is it preocupes and not preocupas?
Because this is a negative command: Don’t worry.
In European Portuguese, negative commands use the present subjunctive, not the normal present indicative.
Compare:
So preocupes is not random: it is the correct subjunctive/negative imperative form for tu.
Is Não te preocupes an imperative?
Yes — in meaning, it is a negative imperative or negative command/request.
Portuguese grammars often explain it like this:
- affirmative command for tu: uses the imperative form
- Preocupa-te.
- negative command for tu: uses the present subjunctive
- Não te preocupes.
So it functions as Don’t worry, even though the verb form comes from the subjunctive.
Why does the pronoun come before the verb: te preocupes? Why not preocupes-te?
Because não triggers proclisis, which means the object/reflexive pronoun goes before the verb.
So:
After não, European Portuguese normally places the clitic pronoun before the verb. So não preocupes-te would be incorrect.
Where is the word for you? Why is there no tu?
Portuguese often omits subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.
In preocupes, the ending -es shows that the sentence is addressing tu.
So:
Both are possible, but the version without tu is more natural in most situations.
Why is it com isso? Why do we need com?
Because the verb expression is preocupar-se com something.
So the pattern is:
- preocupar-se com alguma coisa = to worry about something
Examples:
- Preocupo-me com o exame. = I worry about the exam.
- Não te preocupes com isso. = Don’t worry about that.
The preposition com is simply part of the structure this verb normally uses.
Why is it isso and not isto?
This is about Portuguese demonstratives.
Very roughly:
- isto = this, near the speaker / something being introduced
- isso = that, near the listener / something already mentioned
- aquilo = that over there, farther away from both
In a sentence like Não te preocupes com isso agora, isso is very natural because it usually refers to that matter / that thing we already know about.
So if someone has just mentioned a problem, the response Não te preocupes com isso agora means Don’t worry about that now.
Is this sentence formal or informal?
How would this sound in Brazilian Portuguese?
A Brazilian learner or speaker would usually expect something like:
That is because Brazilian Portuguese often uses você rather than tu, and with você the verb goes in the third person singular.
So:
- European Portuguese informal: Não te preocupes com isso agora.
- Brazilian Portuguese common version: Não se preocupe com isso agora.
In some parts of Brazil, tu is used, but the most widely recognized neutral Brazilian version is não se preocupe.
Can I change the word order, like Agora não te preocupes com isso?
Yes. Portuguese allows some flexibility in word order for emphasis.
These are all possible:
- Não te preocupes com isso agora.
- Agora não te preocupes com isso.
- Com isso, não te preocupes agora. (more marked / more literary or context-dependent)
The original sentence is very natural and neutral.
If you move agora to the front, you emphasize now a bit more:
- Agora não te preocupes com isso. = For now, don’t worry about that.
Does this sound rude, or is it comforting?
Usually it sounds reassuring or comforting, not rude.
It often means something like:
- Don’t worry about that now.
- Try not to think about that right now.
- Leave that for later.
Of course, tone matters. Said gently, it is comforting. Said impatiently, it could sound dismissive. But grammatically, the sentence itself is perfectly normal and often kind in tone.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning PortugueseMaster Portuguese — from Não te preocupes com isso agora to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions