Breakdown of Tenho saudade dos meus avós que moram longe.
os
the
morar
to live
ter saudade de
to miss
meus
my
longe
far away
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Questions & Answers about Tenho saudade dos meus avós que moram longe.
Why is the subject "I" never explicitly mentioned in the sentence?
In Portuguese, the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb conjugation already indicates who is performing the action. In this case, "tenho" is the first person singular form, which clearly implies "I have" (or in context, "I miss"), so including "eu" (I) is unnecessary.
What is the meaning of the word saudade in this sentence?
Saudade is a uniquely Portuguese term that expresses a deep, bittersweet longing or missing someone or something important. It combines elements of love, nostalgia, and melancholy. While it is often translated as "I miss," the emotion behind it is more complex than the simple English equivalent.
Why is the phrase dos meus avós used, and what does it literally mean?
The phrase dos meus avós uses the contraction "dos," which comes from "de" + "os," meaning "of the." It indicates that the feeling of saudade is directed toward "meus avós," which translates to "my grandparents." So the phrase together means "of my grandparents," as part of a common construction with saudade de.
What is the function of the clause que moram longe in the sentence?
The clause que moram longe is a relative clause that modifies "meus avós." It means "who live far away" and provides additional information about which grandparents are being referred to. This clause specifies that the speaker misses their grandparents because they live far apart.
Why is saudade kept in the singular form even when referring to missing multiple people?
Although one might think that missing several people would require a plural form, the word saudade is always used in the singular in Portuguese. It represents a singular, complex emotion that doesn’t change form based on the number of people or things missing.