Eles foram passear na cidade ontem e viram um filme à noite.

They went out in the city yesterday and saw a movie at night.

Breakdown of Eles foram passear na cidade ontem e viram um filme à noite.

• um: a
• na: in
• a cidade: the city
• o filme: the movie
• e: and
• a noite: the night
• ver: to see
• eles: they
• ontem: yesterday
• passear: to go out

Questions & Answers about Eles foram passear na cidade ontem e viram um filme à noite.

Why is foram used here instead of eram?

Foram is the past tense (pretérito perfeito) of the verb ir, meaning they went. In Portuguese, foram indicates a completed action in the past (they went for a stroll). On the other hand, eram is the imperfect form of ser, meaning they were, which refers to a state of being or a repeated action in the past, so it wouldn't match the meaning of going somewhere at a specific time.

Why do we say foram passear rather than foram para passear?

In Portuguese, using ir + infinitive (foram passear) is a common and natural way to say they went (to) do something. You can say foram para passear, but it generally sounds more formal or might add a slight nuance of purpose. Most often, Brazilians would simply say foram passear to convey the same idea in a more concise way.

What does passear na cidade imply?

The expression passear na cidade implies going for a stroll or wandering around in a leisurely way. It suggests they went out with the intention of enjoying the city or looking around casually, rather than going for a specific errand or appointment.

Why is the definite article a used with an accent in à noite?

The accent in à is the crasis, which happens when the preposition a combines with the feminine article a (or sometimes the initial letter a of a feminine word). In à noite, the preposition a (meaning at or in) merges with the feminine noun noite, which already has an implied article a in front of it, forming à noite (at night).

Do we always need an article when talking about time periods like à noite?

In general, yes. Common expressions such as pela manhã (in the morning), à tarde (in the afternoon), and à noite (at night) use either the preposition a with crasis or por combined with the article. They are set phrases. However, usage can vary: for instance, de manhã (in the morning) doesn’t need an article. These are mostly idiomatic expressions that you catch on with practice.

Why is viram used instead of assistiram for seeing a movie?

In Brazilian Portuguese, ver um filme (to see/watch a movie) is very common and natural. Assistir a um filme is also correct, meaning to watch a movie, and some speakers prefer it. However, viram is simply the past tense of ver and is frequently used in everyday speech to mean they watched or they saw a movie. The choice between ver and assistir often comes down to regional preference or personal style.