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Portuguese Phrase

Você pode me explicar os requisitos?

/voˈse ˈpɔdʒi mi ekspliˈkaɾ us ʁe.kiˈzitos/
Meaning"Can you explain the requirements to me?"
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Meaning

A polite request meaning “Can you explain the requirements to me?” The speaker is asking for clarification about rules, conditions, or specifications, often in a professional or academic setting.

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When to use

Use this sentence when you need a colleague, teacher, or client to clarify the criteria of a project, a job posting, a contract, or any set of rules. It works well in meetings, emails, or informal conversations where you want to sound courteous but direct.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Vocêpodemeexplicarosrequisitos?

1

Você (pronoun)

Second‑person singular pronoun that takes third‑person verb forms; used in most of Brazil for informal but polite address.

2

pode (poder)

Present indicative, third‑person singular of poder; expresses ability or permission.

3

me (clitic pronoun)

First‑person object pronoun placed before the infinitive (proclitic) – the usual order in Brazilian Portuguese.

4

explicar (infinitive)

Infinitive verb that follows a modal verb (poder) to form a request.

5

os requisitos (noun phrase)

Definite article ‘os’ + plural noun ‘requisitos’; the direct object of explicar.

🗨In Conversation

A

Você pode me explicar os requisitos?

Can you explain the requirements to me?

Claro! Primeiro, precisamos que o relatório tenha no máximo 10 páginas.

Sure! First, we need the report to be no more than 10 pages.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Tu pode me explicar os requisitos?

    ‘Tu’ pairs with the verb form ‘podes’; using ‘pode’ with ‘tu’ mixes pronouns and conjugations.

  • Você pode me explica os requisitos?

    After ‘pode’, the verb must stay in the infinitive (explicar), not conjugated.

  • Você pode me explicar os requisito?

    The noun ‘requisitos’ is plural, so the article must also be plural ‘os’.

↔Alternatives

  • Você poderia me explicar os requisitos?

    Could you explain the requirements to me?

  • Pode me explicar os requisitos?

    Can you explain the requirements?

  • Você pode esclarecer os requisitos?

    Can you clarify the requirements?

pt

Cultural Tip

In Brazil, ‘você’ is the default way to address someone you don’t know well, but in very formal contexts (e.g., with senior executives or older strangers) you might use ‘o senhor/a senhora’. Switching to ‘poderia’ instead of ‘pode’ adds an extra layer of politeness. Also, keep the clitic pronoun before the infinitive – saying ‘explicar‑me’ sounds archaic and is rarely used today.