Nós compramos tudo o que precisávamos no mercado e voltamos para casa cedo.

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Breakdown of Nós compramos tudo o que precisávamos no mercado e voltamos para casa cedo.

• a casa: the house
• comprar: to buy
• para: to
• e: and
• precisar: to need
• nós: we
• cedo: early
• que: that
• tudo: everything
• mercado: the market
• voltar: to return

Questions & Answers about Nós compramos tudo o que precisávamos no mercado e voltamos para casa cedo.

Why is compramos used for both present and past tense if the sentence is in the past?

In Portuguese, the verb comprar in the first-person plural (nós) form is spelled the same way for both the present indicative (nós compramos) and the past perfect indicative (nós compramos)—although the pronunciation can sometimes differ slightly by region (the stressed syllable in the past tense might be a bit more evident). Context usually tells you whether it’s present or past.

Why is it tudo o que precisávamos instead of just tudo que precisávamos?

In Portuguese, the phrase tudo o que is a standard construction for "everything that." You’ll often see tudo o que used together. You can omit the o in some informal contexts, but it’s very common (and generally preferred) to say tudo o que to sound natural and grammatically complete.

Can I say no supermercado instead of no mercado?

Yes. Mercado can mean a marketplace or a grocery store. Supermercado is a supermarket. Brazilians often say fui ao mercado to mean "I went to the grocery store" even if it’s actually a supermarket. Both are correct; supermercado is just more specific.

Is voltamos here also a past tense form?

Exactly. Just like compramos, the verb voltar in the first-person plural past tense is spelled voltamos—the same as the present tense voltamos. Again, the context reveals it’s a completed action in the past. Sometimes, intonation or time expressions like ontem (yesterday) make it even clearer.

Why is it para casa cedo and not para a casa cedo?

In Portuguese, the expression ir para casa, meaning "to go home," does not typically include the definite article a because casa here works a bit like an adverbial phrase (it’s a set expression). You’ll often see it without a (like ficar em casa, "to stay at home"), unless you’re referring to a specific house that requires identification.