Breakdown of Ele prefere usar calça e sapato no trabalho.
ele
he
e
and
preferir
to prefer
usar
to wear
a calça
the pants
o sapato
the shoe
no
at the
o trabalho
the work
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Questions & Answers about Ele prefere usar calça e sapato no trabalho.
What do the words calça and sapato mean in English?
Calça translates to pants or trousers, whereas sapato means shoe (typically implying a pair of shoes in context).
Why is the infinitive usar used after prefere?
In Portuguese, when expressing preferences with verbs like preferir, it’s common to follow with the verb in its infinitive form. Here, usar means “to use” or “to wear,” indicating what he prefers to do.
What is the difference between usar and vestir when talking about clothing?
Both usar and vestir can mean “to wear,” but usar is more frequently used in everyday conversation, while vestir might be chosen in formal or descriptive contexts. Additionally, vestir can emphasize the act of getting dressed, whereas usar simply refers to wearing something.
Why are calça and sapato used in the singular form even though they refer to items like pants and shoes?
In Portuguese, certain clothing items are treated as singular even though they represent what we consider pairs in English. Calça is used to refer to a pair of pants and sapato to a pair of shoes. The context makes it clear that a single term represents an article typically worn as a pair.
What does the contraction no in no trabalho signify?
No is a contraction of em (meaning “in” or “at”) and the masculine singular article o. Therefore, no trabalho translates as “at work” or “in the workplace.”
Is it necessary to include the pronoun ele in this sentence?
Portuguese is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns can often be omitted because the verb conjugation indicates the subject. In this sentence, including ele (meaning “he”) adds clarity or emphasis, even though it could be dropped if the context were unmistakable.