Preciso de tirar uma fotocópia do manual antes de submeter o trabalho.

Here, preciso means I need. It is the 1st person singular of the verb precisar.

So:

• preciso de tirar... = I need to make/take...

Portuguese also has an adjective preciso, meaning precise / accurate, but that is not what is happening in this sentence. You can tell it is a verb here because it is followed by de + infinitive: de tirar.

In European Portuguese, precisar is normally followed by de before a noun or an infinitive.

Examples:

• Preciso de ajuda. = I need help.
• Preciso de estudar. = I need to study.

So preciso de tirar is the standard European Portuguese structure.

A learner may hear preciso tirar in Brazilian Portuguese or in informal speech, but for Portugal, preciso de tirar is the safer and more natural choice.

Literally, tirar uma fotocópia is something like to take/make a photocopy.

Yes, this is a normal and idiomatic way to say it in Portuguese. Portuguese often uses everyday verbs such as tirar in expressions where English prefers a more specific verb.

Other possible ways to express the idea are:

• fazer uma fotocópia = to make a photocopy
• fotocopiar = to photocopy

But tirar uma fotocópia sounds very natural.

Because the sentence is talking about one photocopy.

• uma fotocópia = a photocopy / one photocopy

If you removed uma, the phrase would sound incomplete here. Portuguese usually needs the article when referring to a single countable thing like this.

Compare:

• tirar uma fotocópia = make one photocopy
• tirar fotocópias = make photocopies

The accent in fotocópia shows the stressed syllable: fo-to-CÓ-pi-a.

This helps with pronunciation and distinguishes the normal stress pattern of the word. The noun is fotocópia.

Related word:

• fotocopiar = to photocopy

So the noun keeps the written accent, while the verb does not.

Do is a contraction of:

• de + o = do

So do manual means of the manual or from the manual, depending on the context.

This kind of contraction is extremely common in Portuguese:

• de + a = da
• de + os = dos
• de + as = das

So:

• uma fotocópia do manual = a photocopy of the manual

Not necessarily. Manual in Portuguese can mean several things depending on context:

• an instruction manual
• a handbook
• a course manual
• sometimes a school/course book

So in this sentence, manual could be an actual instruction manual, but it could also be a course manual or study handbook. The exact meaning depends on the situation.

Because Portuguese commonly uses antes de + infinitive to mean before doing something.

So:

• antes de submeter o trabalho = before submitting the assignment

This works very naturally here, especially because the subject is understood to be the same person throughout the sentence: I need... before submitting...

A fuller clause is also possible in other contexts, but antes de + infinitive is the normal compact structure here.

Yes. Submeter o trabalho means to submit the assignment / paper / work.

It is a natural expression, especially in:

• academic contexts
• formal contexts
• online submission contexts

Depending on the situation, Portuguese speakers might also say:

• entregar o trabalho = hand in the assignment

A useful distinction is:

• submeter often sounds a bit more formal or administrative
• entregar often sounds more everyday, especially if you are physically handing something in

Portuguese often uses the definite article when possession is already obvious from the context.

So:

• submeter o trabalho can naturally mean submit my assignment
• submeter o meu trabalho is also possible, but it is more explicit

In many cases, Portuguese does not repeat possessives as often as English does.

So both are possible, but o trabalho is perfectly natural if everyone already knows which piece of work is being talked about.

Yes. A few natural alternatives are:

• Tenho de tirar uma fotocópia do manual antes de submeter o trabalho.
• Preciso de fazer uma fotocópia do manual antes de submeter o trabalho.
• Preciso de tirar uma fotocópia do manual antes de entregar o trabalho.

These versions change the wording slightly:

• tenho de = I have to
• fazer uma fotocópia = make a photocopy
• entregar o trabalho = hand in the assignment

The original sentence is completely natural, but these are all good alternatives depending on tone and context.