Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Nós precisamos de visitar a montanha hoje.

In Portuguese, the verb precisar (to need) almost always requires the preposition de right after it when it connects to an action or a thing. Even though we say it without a preposition in English, in Portuguese it must be precisar de visitar.

Why does the second verb, visitar, keep its dictionary ending?

When you use two verbs together like this, only the first verb (precisamos) changes its ending to match the subject. The second verb (visitar) stays in its original dictionary form, known as the infinitive.

Is it strictly necessary to start the sentence with Nós?

No, you can leave it out! The verb ending in -amos already makes it perfectly clear that the subject is 'we'. Saying Precisamos de visitar a montanha hoje sounds very natural to native speakers.

Can the time word hoje go anywhere else in the sentence?

Yes, time words like hoje (today) are quite flexible in Portuguese. Placing it at the end is very common, but you could also put it at the very beginning of the sentence, like Hoje nós precisamos de visitar a montanha.