Questions & Answers about Eu recebi a carta ontem.
The verb is receber. Why does it end in -i here?
Because it is in the simple past tense (pretérito perfeito) for the eu (I) form! To form the past tense for regular -er verbs, you drop the -er and add -i. So, receber becomes recebi (I received). Good news: regular -ir verbs also use this exact same -i ending for eu in the past tense.
Could I just say Recebi a carta ontem and leave out the word Eu?
Does carta mean "card"?
It looks like it, but it is a false friend! Carta translates to "letter" (as in mail) or "playing card". If you want to talk about a credit card, a birthday card, or a business card, you need to use the word cartão.
Does the word ontem have to go at the end of the sentence?
Not necessarily, though it is the most natural and common place for it. You can also put it at the very beginning to emphasize when it happened: Ontem, recebi a carta (Yesterday, I received the letter).
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