Nós devemos chegar cedo para comprar pão fresco.

to buy

Breakdown of Nós devemos chegar cedo para comprar pão fresco.

• para: to
• nós: we
• cedo: early
• chegar: to arrive
• o pão: the bread
• fresco: fresh
• dever: must

Questions & Answers about Nós devemos chegar cedo para comprar pão fresco.

Why is devemos used instead of something like temos que?

Both devemos and temos que express necessity or obligation. Devemos is more straightforward and slightly more formal, while temos que is more casual and conversational. In most contexts, they are interchangeable and convey a similar meaning of "must" or "have to."

What does para indicate in this sentence?

Para in this context indicates purpose or intention. It can often be translated as "in order to" in English. Together with comprar, it shows that the reason for arriving early is specifically to buy fresh bread.

Why is it pão fresco and not pão frescos in the sentence?

In Portuguese, pão is a singular masculine noun, so the adjective fresco must also be in the masculine singular form. If you were talking about multiple loaves of bread, you would say pães frescos.

Can I omit the Nós and just say Devemos chegar cedo...?

Yes, Portuguese allows dropping the subject when the verb conjugation makes it clear who the subject is. So you can say Devemos chegar cedo... without changing the meaning. Using Nós can add emphasis or clarity, especially in spoken dialogue.

What is the difference between cedo and other words like logo or breve?

Cedo means "early" and refers to the time of day or doing something ahead of a usual time. Logo can mean "soon," and breve also implies something will happen soon but is less common in everyday regional speech. In this sentence, cedo is the best choice because it clearly means arriving early in the morning or earlier than usual.