Portuguese Phrase
Em que você precisa melhorar?
Meaning
The sentence asks the listener to point out the area(s) where they feel they need to make progress. It is often used in feedback, coaching, or self‑assessment situations.
When to use
Use it during performance reviews, language‑learning sessions, or any conversation where you want to give or receive constructive criticism. It works well in both formal and semi‑formal contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Emquevocêprecisamelhorar?
Em que
The preposition ‘em’ + interrogative pronoun ‘que’ asks about a specific domain, aspect or situation.
você
Second‑person singular pronoun (formal/informal) used with third‑person verb forms.
precisa + infinitive
The verb ‘precisar’ (to need) is followed directly by an infinitive to express necessity.
melhorar
Infinitive of the verb ‘melhorar’ meaning ‘to improve’; it functions as the action that is needed.
🗨In Conversation
Em que você precisa melhorar?
What do you need to improve on?
Acho que preciso melhorar minha pronúncia em português.
I think I need to improve my Portuguese pronunciation.
✕Common Mistakes
Que você precisa melhorar?
Missing the preposition ‘em’; ‘Que’ alone does not introduce the domain of improvement.
Em que você precisa de melhorar?
‘Precisa’ is not followed by ‘de’ before an infinitive.
Em que você precisa melhor?
‘Melhor’ is an adjective; the infinitive ‘melhorar’ is required here.
↔Alternatives
O que você precisa melhorar?
What do you need to improve?
Em quais aspectos você acha que poderia melhorar?
In which aspects do you think you could improve?
Em que área você precisa melhorar?
In which area do you need to improve?
Cultural Tip
In Brazilian Portuguese, ‘Em que’ sounds a bit more formal than ‘O que’. When asking about personal improvement, keep a friendly tone; otherwise the question can feel too direct or critical. Adding a softener like ‘Você poderia me dizer…’ makes it even more polite.