Portuguese Phrase
Que provas eu preciso?
Meaning
The sentence asks which specific exams or tests the speaker needs to take or have. It can refer to school exams, professional certification tests, or any required assessment.
When to use
Use this question when you are planning your study schedule, applying for a job that requires certain certifications, or when a teacher asks you to list the exams you must sit for.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Queprovaseupreciso?
Que (interrogative)
Used to ask about a specific item or set of items; can mean 'what' or 'which' depending on context.
provas (noun, plural)
Means 'tests', 'exams', or 'evidence'; here it refers to academic or qualification exams.
eu (subject pronoun)
Explicit subject pronoun, often optional in Portuguese but adds emphasis.
preciso (verb)
First‑person singular present of precisar ‘to need’; in questions it can appear without the preposition ‘de’ when followed directly by a noun.
🗨In Conversation
Que provas eu preciso para me inscrever no curso?
What exams do I need to enroll in the course?
Você precisa da prova de matemática e da prova de português.
You need the math test and the Portuguese test.
✕Common Mistakes
Que provas eu preciso de?
The verb ‘precisar’ already includes the meaning of ‘need’; adding ‘de’ before a noun in a direct question is redundant.
Que provas eu precisa?
Missing the subject pronoun can be fine, but beginners often forget to conjugate the verb correctly; it must be ‘preciso’, not ‘precisa’ or ‘precisamos’.
↔Alternatives
Quais provas eu preciso?
Which exams do I need?
Que exames eu preciso fazer?
What exams do I have to take?
Que provas são necessárias para mim?
Which tests are necessary for me?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, the word ‘provas’ is commonly used for school or university exams, while ‘exames’ is more typical for medical or professional certification tests. In European Portuguese, you’ll hear ‘exames’ more often for both contexts. Adding the subject pronoun ‘eu’ is optional; omitting it makes the sentence sound a bit more informal.