Questions & Answers about Devo estudar hoje.
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
In Portuguese, you usually don't need to say the subject pronoun (like eu for "I") because the verb's ending already tells us who is doing the action. Devo specifically means "I should" or "I must", so adding eu is optional and usually left out unless you want to emphasize it.
Doesn't dever usually mean "must" or "to owe"? Why is it translated as "should" here?
Why is estudar in its full dictionary form (the infinitive)?
When you have two verbs together where the first one modifies the second, only the first verb changes to match the person doing the action. The second verb stays in its infinitive form. So we have devo (conjugated) followed directly by estudar (infinitive).
Do I need a connecting word like de or a between devo and estudar?
No, you don't. While some Portuguese verbs require a preposition before a second verb, dever connects directly to the infinitive without any extra words in between.
How do I pronounce hoje? Is the "h" silent?
Yes, the "h" at the beginning of Portuguese words is always silent. You pronounce hoje starting right with the "o". The "j" sounds like the "s" in the English word "measure", and the final "e" is very brief and quiet in European Portuguese.
Learn Devo estudar hoje and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free