Depois de fazer um rascunho, eu dobro o papel e meto-o no envelope.

Because depois de is followed by an infinitive when you mean after doing something.

So:

• depois de fazer = after doing / after making
• depois de escrever = after writing
• depois de comer = after eating

In this sentence, the subject of fazer is understood to be the same as the subject of the main clause: eu.

If you want to make the subject explicit, Portuguese can say:

• Depois de eu fazer um rascunho... = After I make a draft...

That is very normal in Portuguese and uses the personal infinitive.

Rascunho means a draft, rough copy, or first version of something.

It is something not yet final. Depending on context, it can also mean a rough sketch or notes, but here it most naturally means a draft version of a letter or text before the final version is prepared.

So fazer um rascunho is a very natural expression for to make/write a draft.

Because um introduces something as a draft, not a specific previously identified one.

• um rascunho = a draft
• o rascunho = the draft

Here, the sentence is just mentioning the draft as a step in the process, so um rascunho is the natural choice.

If the speaker and listener already knew which draft was meant, then o rascunho could be used.

That is true: Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person.

So this sentence could also be:

• Depois de fazer um rascunho, dobro o papel e meto-o no envelope.

Including eu is still correct. It can add:

• a bit of emphasis
• clarity
• a more explicit, sometimes slightly more deliberate tone

So eu is optional here, not wrong.

They are in the present indicative, first person singular:

• dobro = I fold
• meto = I put

In Portuguese, the present tense can describe:

• a habitual action
• a routine
• a sequence of steps
• a vivid narration of what someone does

So here it sounds like the speaker is describing their usual process or the steps they take: first make a draft, then fold the paper, then put it in the envelope.

Meto-o means I put it.

It is made of:

• meto = I put
• o = it / him (masculine singular direct object pronoun)

Here, o refers back to o papel.

The hyphen appears because in standard European Portuguese, object pronouns are often attached after the verb in affirmative main clauses. This is called enclisis:

• meto-o
• dobro-o
• vejo-o

This is a very important feature of European Portuguese.

Because o papel is the direct object of the verb meter.

• o = masculine singular direct object pronoun = it
• lhe = indirect object pronoun = usually to him / to her / to you

So:

• Meto-o no envelope = I put it in the envelope
• not Meto-lhe no envelope

You use o / a / os / as for direct objects, and lhe / lhes for indirect objects.

Because Portuguese normally contracts em + o into no.

So:

• em + o = no
• em + a = na
• em + os = nos
• em + as = nas

That means:

• no envelope = in the envelope

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

Yes. In European Portuguese, meter is a very common and natural everyday verb meaning to put, to place, or to insert.

So meto-o no envelope sounds normal in Portugal.

Other possibilities would be:

• ponho-o no envelope from pôr
• coloco-o no envelope from colocar

Very roughly:

• meter = everyday, common
• pôr = also very common
• colocar = a bit more formal or neutral

In this sentence, meter is perfectly idiomatic.

The nh in rascunho is pronounced like the ñ in Spanish señor, or roughly like the ny sound in canyon.

So rascunho is approximately:

• rrash-KOO-nyoo

In more precise European Portuguese pronunciation, it is roughly /ʁɐʃˈkuɲu/.

A few useful points:

• the r at the start is the stronger Portuguese r
• nh is a single sound, not an n plus a separate h
• the stress falls on cu: ras-CU-nho

Because Depois de fazer um rascunho is an introductory clause, and Portuguese often separates that kind of opening phrase with a comma.

So the comma helps show the structure:

• first, the time/frame: Depois de fazer um rascunho
• then, the main action: eu dobro o papel e meto-o no envelope

In short, the comma is natural and helps readability.

Not normally, if you want standard, clear Portuguese.

Meter needs an object here, so after dobro o papel, the next clause naturally refers back to it with o:

• dobro o papel e meto-o no envelope

Leaving out the pronoun would sound incomplete in standard Portuguese because the listener would be left asking: put what in the envelope?

So the -o is there to avoid repeating o papel while still making the object explicit.