Breakdown of Preciso de um par de sapatos novos.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
novo
new / young
um
a / an / some (all forms)
o sapato
the shoe
precisar de
to need
o par
the pair
Questions & Answers about Preciso de um par de sapatos novos.
Why is there a "de" after "Preciso"?
The verb precisar (to need) is almost always followed by the preposition de when you mention what you need. In English, we just say "I need a pair", but in Portuguese, it translates more like "I have need of a pair", which is why we say Preciso de um par.
In English it says "a new pair", but in Portuguese "novos" is plural. Why doesn't it agree with the singular word "par"?
Why does "novos" come after "sapatos" instead of before it?
In Portuguese, descriptive adjectives like novos (new) almost always come after the noun they are describing. This is the opposite of English, where the adjective comes first.
Could I just drop "um par de" and just say "I need new shoes"?
Yes, you can! But remember that you still need the preposition de after the verb. You would say Preciso de sapatos novos. Using um par de just emphasizes the matched set, exactly like "a pair of" does in English.
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