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O problema é urgente, preciso de um médico!

O problema é urgente, preciso de um médico!
The problem is urgent, I need a doctor!
From Lesson 44:The verb to need (precisar de)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O problema é urgente, preciso de um médico!

Why is there a de before um médico? In English, it's just 'I need a doctor'.
In Portuguese, the verb precisar (to need) is almost always followed by the preposition de when you need a noun (a person, place, or thing). Think of it as saying 'I have need of a doctor.'
Why is it o problema? Doesn't ending in '-a' usually mean a word is feminine?
Usually, yes! However, problema is a very common exception. Many Portuguese words that end in -ma (like o sistema or o programa) originally came from Greek and are masculine. That is why it uses the masculine word for 'the', which is o.
Where is the word for 'I' before preciso?
Portuguese often drops subject pronouns like eu (I) because the verb's ending tells you who is doing the action. The form preciso can only mean 'I need', so adding eu is unnecessary. Native speakers usually leave it out.
Why does the sentence use é instead of está for an urgent problem? Isn't an emergency temporary?
We use é (from the verb ser) because we are describing the nature or core characteristic of this specific problem. Even though the situation is fast-paced and will eventually end, being 'urgent' defines exactly what kind of problem it is right now, so we use ser instead of estar.

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