Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Eu tenho sempre pouca paciência.

Eu tenho sempre pouca paciência.

I always have little patience.

Breakdown of Eu tenho sempre pouca paciência.

Questions & Answers about Eu tenho sempre pouca paciência.

Why is it pouca ending in an -a instead of just pouco?

Because it is describing the word paciência (patience), which is a feminine noun. When words like pouco (little/few) or muito (much/many) describe a noun's quantity, they must change their endings to match the noun's gender and number. Since paciência is feminine and singular, pouco becomes pouca.

Why is sempre (always) placed after the verb? In English we say "I always have".

Word order in Portuguese is a bit different! Adverbs of frequency, like sempre (always), usually come right after the verb they are modifying. So, "I always have" translates to tenho sempre.

Can I drop the Eu and just say Tenho sempre pouca paciência?

Yes, absolutely! Because the verb form tenho (I have) is only ever used for "I", the pronoun Eu is optional. Portuguese speakers leave it out most of the time unless they want to add special emphasis to who is speaking.

What does the accent mark on paciência do?

The circumflex accent (the little hat) does two things. First, it tells you that the syllable ciên is the stressed one, meaning you say it a bit louder. Second, it shows that the vowel e has a more closed, slightly nasal sound rather than a wide open "eh" sound.