O prémio foi de mil euros.

In Portuguese, ser is often followed by de when you give a total, amount, value, distance, age, or similar measurement.

So:

• O prémio foi de mil euros = The prize was 1,000 euros
• More literally: The prize was of 1,000 euros

That literal English version sounds unnatural, but in Portuguese this structure is very normal.

Here, foi is the past tense of ser.

• ser = to be
• foi = was

So O prémio foi de mil euros means The prize was 1,000 euros.

A common learner question is whether foi could come from ir as well. Yes, it can in other sentences:

• Ele foi a Lisboa = He went to Lisbon

But in this sentence, foi clearly comes from ser, because it is describing the value of the prize, not movement.

O means the.

Portuguese often uses the definite article when talking about a specific thing already known from context. So:

• O prémio = the prize

If you said only Prémio, it would usually not work as a normal complete noun phrase in this sentence.

In European Portuguese, the word is spelled prémio.

The accent shows the stressed vowel and helps with pronunciation. For a learner, the main point is:

• European Portuguese: prémio
• Brazilian Portuguese: prêmio

So this sentence is clearly in Portugal Portuguese spelling.

In European Portuguese, prémio is approximately pronounced like PREH-mee-oo, but with a more reduced final sound than in careful English-style pronunciation.

The important stress is on the first syllable:

• PRÉ-mio

You do not stress the mi part.

In standard Portuguese, 1000 is normally just mil, not um mil.

So:

• mil euros = one thousand euros

You would usually only use um mil in special contexts such as contrast, counting systems, codes, or technical situations. In normal everyday language, mil euros is the natural form.

Because the amount is greater than one.

• um euro = one euro
• dois euros
• mil euros

So euros must be plural here.

In European Portuguese, O prémio foi de mil euros is the more natural and standard version.

You may sometimes hear or see forms without de in some contexts, but with amounts and totals, foi de is the usual safe choice.

So for a learner, the best pattern to remember is:

• foi de + amount

It is talking about the value/amount of the prize.

So O prémio foi de mil euros means the prize consisted of, or was worth, 1,000 euros.

Depending on context, English might say:

• The prize was 1,000 euros
• The prize amounted to 1,000 euros
• The prize was worth 1,000 euros

Yes. Prémio can mean things like:

• prize
• award
• premium in some contexts

In this sentence, because of mil euros, the natural meaning is prize: a money prize worth 1,000 euros.

In Portuguese, currency names are normally written with lowercase letters.

So:

• euro
• euros

This is similar to English, where we usually write euros, not Euros.

The present-tense version would be:

• O prémio é de mil euros.

That means:

• The prize is 1,000 euros.

So the contrast is:

• é = is
• foi = was