Agora o professor e o aluno vão conversar sobre suas próximas férias.

Now the teacher and the student will talk about their upcoming vacation.

Breakdown of Agora o professor e o aluno vão conversar sobre suas próximas férias.

• o: the
• agora: now
• e: and
• ir: to go
• sobre: about
• conversar: to talk
• professor: teacher
• próximo: next
• aluno: student
• suas: their
• férias: vacation

Questions & Answers about Agora o professor e o aluno vão conversar sobre suas próximas férias.

Why do we say vão conversar instead of something like vão falar?

In Portuguese, conversar tends to emphasize a two-way discussion or exchange of ideas, while falar can mean just to speak in general. Using vão conversar highlights that the teacher and the student will engage in a dialogue.

What is the function of suas in suas próximas férias?

Suas is a possessive adjective meaning your (in this case, it can also mean their depending on context). Because there are two people (the teacher and the student) being discussed, suas refers collectively to their next vacations. The gender or number of who possesses the vacations doesn’t always match the grammatical gender of the word férias, which is feminine and plural by default.

Why is férias used in the plural form in Portuguese when it’s usually singular in English (vacation)?

In Portuguese, férias is almost always used in the plural, even if referring to just one vacation period. It’s just a feature of the language. You could think of it as vacations in English, though the meaning is effectively the same as a single vacation period.

How does the word agora function in this sentence?

Agora means now. It sets the current timeframe or context, indicating that at this point in time, the teacher and the student will begin or commence doing something (in this case, talking about their next vacations).

Why is it o professor e o aluno instead of o professor e aluno?

In Portuguese, repeating the definite article (o, a, os, as) for each noun helps clarify that we are talking about two distinct people: the teacher and the student. Though sometimes you might see something like o professor e aluno in more stylized writing, the standard form includes the article before each noun.