O meu avô come um figo depois do almoço.

In European Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article before a possessive: o meu avô = my grandfather.

So:

• o meu avô = my grandfather
• a minha avó = my grandmother
• o meu pai = my father

In Portuguese from Portugal, this article is normally expected in everyday speech. Leaving it out can sound unusual or literary in many contexts.

Avô means grandfather.

The accent helps distinguish it from avó, which means grandmother.

• avô = grandfather
• avó = grandmother

The accent also shows the stressed vowel quality. This is an important pair to learn, because changing the accent changes the meaning.

No. Although it looks similar, Portuguese come is not pronounced like English come.

It is the he/she/you formal form of the verb comer (to eat):

• eu como = I eat
• tu comes = you eat
• ele/ela/você come = he/she/you eat(s)

In European Portuguese, the pronunciation is roughly closer to KOH-m(ə), with the final vowel often reduced.

Come is the present tense: eats / is eating depending on context.

So:

• O meu avô come um figo depois do almoço. = My grandfather eats a fig after lunch / is eating a fig after lunch depending on the situation.

If you said comeu, that would be ate:

• O meu avô comeu um figo depois do almoço. = My grandfather ate a fig after lunch.

Portuguese often uses the simple present for habits and general facts.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Most naturally, without extra context, it often sounds like a habit:

• My grandfather eats a fig after lunch.

But in the right situation, it could also describe a current event:

• My grandfather is eating a fig after lunch.

Portuguese uses the simple present more broadly than English does. If you want to make the right now meaning very clear, Portuguese often uses:

• O meu avô está a comer um figo... in European Portuguese.

Um is the indefinite article, meaning a or one.

So:

• um figo = a fig
• o figo = the fig
• figos = figs

Here, um figo means a fig, one unspecified fig.

It means after lunch.

Breakdown:

• depois de = after
• o almoço = lunch
• de + o = do

So:

• depois do almoço = after the lunch / after lunch

In Portuguese, meals often use the article:

• ao pequeno-almoço = at breakfast
• ao almoço = at lunch
• ao jantar = at dinner

Because Portuguese commonly contracts certain prepositions with articles.

Here:

• de + o = do

So:

• depois de o almoço becomes depois do almoço

Other common contractions:

• de + a = da
• em + o = no
• em + a = na
• a + o = ao
• a + a = à

These contractions are very important in normal Portuguese.

Portuguese often uses the definite article where English does not.

So English says:

• after lunch

But Portuguese naturally says:

• depois do almoço

This is normal and idiomatic. It is not usually translated word-for-word.

Yes, you can, but it sounds a bit more formal or written.

• depois do almoço = the most natural everyday choice
• após o almoço = more formal, more typical in writing or careful speech

For everyday spoken European Portuguese, depois do almoço is the safer choice.

This follows the basic Portuguese word order:

subject + verb + object + time expression

So:

• O meu avô = subject
• come = verb
• um figo = object
• depois do almoço = time expression

This is the most neutral and natural order.

You could move parts around for emphasis, but this version is the standard straightforward sentence.

Figo means fig.

It is roughly pronounced FEE-goo in a careful approximation, but in European Portuguese the final o is usually reduced, so it may sound more like FEE-go with a weak final vowel.

Also note:

• figo is a noun here: a fig
• In informal Portuguese, fixe is more common than figo for cool, especially in Portugal. So in this sentence, figo clearly means the fruit.

Here it is the noun lunch.

• o almoço = lunch
• eu almoço = I have lunch / I eat lunch

Portuguese often has forms that look the same as nouns and verbs, but the article o tells you this one is the noun:

• do almoço = of the lunch / lunch

So in this sentence, it definitely means the meal, not the verb.

You might hear it sometimes in special contexts, but in standard European Portuguese, o meu avô is the normal form.

So for learners of Portuguese from Portugal, it is best to use:

• o meu avô
• a minha mãe
• o meu irmão

Using the article consistently will make your Portuguese sound more natural.

You would change the articles, nouns, and probably the verb too.

Examples:

• Os meus avós comem figos depois do almoço. = My grandparents eat figs after lunch.
• O meu avô come figos depois do almoço. = My grandfather eats figs after lunch.
• Os meus avós comem um figo depois do almoço. = My grandparents eat one fig after lunch.

Notice:

• o → os
• meu → meus
• avô → avós
• come → comem
• figo → figos when plural

Since come appears in the sentence, it is useful to know the whole present tense of comer (to eat):

• eu como = I eat
• tu comes = you eat
• ele/ela/você come = he/she/you eat(s)
• nós comemos = we eat
• vós comeis = you all eat
• eles/elas/vocês comem = they/you all eat

In modern European Portuguese, vós is uncommon in everyday speech, but you may still see it in older, religious, or regional language.