A aquariofilia ajuda o aquarista a entender os peixes.

Fishkeeping helps the aquarium keeper understand fish.

Breakdown of A aquariofilia ajuda o aquarista a entender os peixes.

• entender: to understand
• ajudar a: to help
• peixe: fish
• a aquariofilia: the fishkeeping hobby

Questions & Answers about A aquariofilia ajuda o aquarista a entender os peixes.

Why are there two a words in this sentence?

They are two different words with two different jobs:

• A in A aquariofilia is the feminine singular definite article: the
• a in ajuda o aquarista a entender is a preposition used before the infinitive entender

So even though they look the same, they do not mean the same thing here.

Why is it A aquariofilia and not O aquariofilia?

Because aquariofilia is a feminine noun in Portuguese.

Many nouns ending in -ia are feminine, so they usually take a in the singular:

• a biologia
• a fotografia
• a aquariofilia

So A aquariofilia is grammatically correct.

Is aquariofilia a natural word in Brazilian Portuguese?

Yes, it is a real and understandable word, but it can sound a bit technical or formal.

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, many people would more naturally say aquarismo for the aquarium hobby / fishkeeping hobby.

So:

• aquariofilia = correct, a bit more formal/technical
• aquarismo = very common in Brazil

Why is the verb ajuda singular?