Breakdown of Preciso de uma fotocópia deste texto.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
um
a / an / some (all forms)
precisar de
to need
o texto
the text
Questions & Answers about Preciso de uma fotocópia deste texto.
Why is there a de after preciso?
The verb precisar (to need) is almost always followed by the preposition de when you need a noun or need to do an action. English speakers usually just say "I need a photocopy", but in Portuguese, the grammar requires you to say it more like "I need of a photocopy".
Where does the word deste come from?
Deste translates to "of this". It is a mandatory combination (contraction) of the preposition de (of) and the masculine word for "this" (este). We use the masculine form because the word it describes, texto, is masculine.
Could I use desse instead of deste here?
Why isn't the word eu (I) at the beginning of the sentence?
In Portuguese, it is very common to drop subject pronouns like eu because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action. The -o at the end of preciso tells us exactly that "I" am the one who needs it.