Nem sempre concordamos um com o outro, mas ouvimo-nos até ao fim.

In Portuguese, nem sempre is the natural way to say not always.

• nem here helps create the idea of not even / not necessarily / not always
• não sempre is not the normal expression in Portuguese

So:

• Nem sempre concordamos = We don’t always agree

This is a very common fixed expression.

Concordamos comes from concordar = to agree.

Here it is 1st person plural (we) in the present tense:

• eu concordo = I agree
• tu concordas = you agree
• ele/ela concorda = he/she agrees
• nós concordamos = we agree
• vocês/eles/elas concordam = you/they agree

So Nem sempre concordamos means We do not always agree.

A useful extra point: concordamos can also look like the preterite form (we agreed), but in this sentence the meaning is clearly present because of the context.

Um com o outro literally means one with the other, but in natural English it usually means with each other or with one another.

So:

• Nem sempre concordamos um com o outro = We do not always agree with each other

This expression emphasizes reciprocity between two people or two sides.

Related expressions:

• um ao outro = one another / each other
• entre nós = among ourselves / between us

In this sentence, um com o outro sounds very natural because the verb concordar often goes with com:

• concordar com alguém = to agree with someone

Yes. It would still be correct.

• Nem sempre concordamos. = We don’t always agree.

Adding um com o outro makes the idea more explicit:

• it highlights that the disagreement is between us
• it adds a slightly fuller, more personal tone

So the longer version is not required, but it is natural and stylistically clear.

Ouvimo-nos is made of:

• ouvimos = we listen or we hear
• nos = ourselves / each other / us

Together, in this sentence, it means something like:

• we listen to each other
• we hear each other out

Because of the context, it is not just literal hearing. It has the sense of listening mutually and respectfully.

This is because European Portuguese normally places object pronouns after the verb in affirmative main clauses. This is called enclisis.

So in European Portuguese:

• ouvimo-nos
• vemo-nos
• entendemo-nos

The hyphen is required in this structure.

A very important point for learners: this is especially typical of Portugal Portuguese. In Brazilian Portuguese, pronouns before the verb are often more common in everyday usage:

• nos ouvimos

But in European Portuguese, ouvimo-nos is the normal standard form here.

Great question. This happens because when -nos is attached to a verb ending in -s, the s is dropped.

So:

• ouvimos + nos becomes ouvimo-nos
• vemos + nos becomes vemo-nos

This is a standard spelling rule with enclitic pronouns in Portuguese.

So the form is not random—it follows a regular pattern.

In European Portuguese, after an affirmative main verb, the usual placement is after the verb:

• ouvimo-nos

You would often get before the verb (nos ouvimos) only in certain environments that trigger proclisis, such as:

• negation: não nos ouvimos
• certain adverbs
• some subordinating words

Examples:

• Não nos ouvimos até ao fim.
• Quando nos ouvimos com calma, resolvemos mais.

But in the original sentence, after mas, the clause is still affirmative, so ouvimo-nos is the expected European Portuguese order.

Literally, ouvir often means to hear, but in many contexts—especially like this one—it can also mean to listen to.

In this sentence, the meaning is closer to:

• we listen to each other
• we hear each other out

That is why a direct English translation with just hear may miss the nuance. The sentence suggests active listening, not just physical hearing.

Até ao fim means until the end or through to the end.

In this sentence, it suggests:

• we let the other person finish
• we listen completely
• we do not interrupt halfway through

So ouvimo-nos até ao fim means something like:

• we listen to each other all the way to the end
• we hear each other out completely

Because ao is the contraction of:

• a + o = ao

Here, até is followed by ao fim, which is a very common expression in European Portuguese:

• até ao fim = until the end

This is standard and very natural in Portugal.

A helpful note:

• In European Portuguese, até ao fim is very common.
• In Brazilian Portuguese, até o fim is also very common.

So if you are learning Portuguese from Portugal, até ao fim is the form to remember.

Mas means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• Nem sempre concordamos um com o outro
  = We do not always agree with each other
• mas ouvimo-nos até ao fim
  = but we listen to each other to the end

So the structure is:

• disagreement exists
• however, respectful listening still happens

It creates a contrast between not agreeing and still listening well.

Yes, it strongly sounds like European Portuguese, mainly because of ouvimo-nos.

The main clues are:

• enclitic pronoun placement: ouvimo-nos
• the very natural European phrasing até ao fim

A Brazilian Portuguese version might more naturally look like:

• Nem sempre concordamos um com o outro, mas nos ouvimos até o fim.

Both are understandable, but the original is clearly aligned with Portuguese from Portugal.

A learner-friendly point is that both forms can be tricky because spelling does not always show stress clearly to English speakers.

• concordamos here is understood as present tense from context
• ouvimo-nos is pronounced as one connected unit because the pronoun is attached

In European Portuguese, vowels in unstressed syllables are often reduced, so words may sound less “fully pronounced” than an English speaker expects. Also, the hyphen does not create a pause—it is still one flowing verbal form.

The main thing to remember is:

• read ouvimo-nos as one verb phrase
• do not separate it too much into ouvimos / nos

Not in natural English.

Although nos can sometimes mean ourselves, here the sentence clearly has a reciprocal meaning:

• we listen to each other until the end
• we hear each other out

So ourselves would sound wrong in English in this context.

This is a common issue for English speakers: Portuguese reflexive-style pronouns can often express reciprocal meaning too, not only true reflexive meaning.