O professor quer ensinar português ao aluno.

to want

Breakdown of O professor quer ensinar português ao aluno.

• português: Portuguese
• ao: to the
• o professor: the teacher
• ensinar: to teach
• o aluno: the student

Questions & Answers about O professor quer ensinar português ao aluno.

Why is it ao aluno (and not something like para o aluno) in this sentence?

In Portuguese, a + o becomes ao, which often indicates an indirect object receiving the action (here, it’s the student receiving the teaching). You could say para o aluno, but that might put emphasis on the goal or purpose of the action (teaching for the student’s benefit). In everyday speech, especially with verbs like ensinar (to teach), you’ll often see ensinar algo a alguém (teach something to someone).

Why do we say O professor quer ensinar instead of O professor quer ensina?

After a conjugated verb like quer (which is already in the third-person singular present tense), the next verb usually appears in the infinitive form (which is ensinar). So you say quer ensinar (“wants to teach”), not quer ensina.

What is the function of quer in this sentence?

Quer is a form of the verb querer (to want). It’s conjugated in the present tense for ele/ela/você. It indicates desire or intention. So, O professor quer ensinar means “The teacher wants to teach.”

Can you explain the word order? Could I say O professor quer ao aluno ensinar português?

In Portuguese, you can sometimes move phrases around, but the most natural order is O professor quer ensinar português ao aluno. If you shift ao aluno in front of ensinar, it sounds more formal or literary. In everyday speech, it’s more common and fluid to keep the indirect object (ao aluno) after the verb phrase (ensinar português).

Why do we use o aluno and not um aluno?

O aluno means the student, referring to a specific student. If you said um aluno, it would be a student in general. Since the sentence likely refers to a specific student the teacher already has or knows, o aluno is appropriate.

Is there a difference between ensinar and dar aula?

Yes. Ensinar focuses on the act of teaching someone something (passing on knowledge), while dar aula literally means “to give a class.” Dar aula is usually used when talking about conducting a formal class or lesson. In this sentence, ensinar emphasizes the direct act of teaching Portuguese to the student.