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Questions & Answers about O doutor está com sede.
Why is the sentence literally translated as “The doctor is with thirst” even though we say “The doctor is thirsty” in English?
In Portuguese, many temporary physical states are expressed with the verb estar followed by a prepositional phrase using com (“with”). So, com sede literally means “with thirst,” which is the idiomatic way to say “thirsty” in Brazilian Portuguese, even though English expresses the idea with a simple adjective.
What is the role of está in this sentence?
Está is the third-person singular form of estar, which is used to describe temporary conditions or states, as opposed to ser, which describes permanent characteristics. In this case, it tells us that the doctor is experiencing a temporary state (thirst).
Why is the prepositional phrase com sede used instead of an adjective like sedento?
While sedento also means “thirsty,” the standard, idiomatic expression in Brazilian Portuguese is estar com sede. This construction emphasizes the temporary nature of the state and is used in everyday language. Even though both forms are understandable, natives almost always use com sede.
How does the article O relate to doutor in this sentence?
O is the masculine singular definite article meaning “the,” and it agrees in gender and number with doutor. This shows that the subject is male. In Brazilian Portuguese, professions and titles are often used with their corresponding articles to indicate formality and respect.
Why is doutor used, and does it carry additional connotations beyond just “doctor”?
In Brazil, doutor is commonly used to refer to physicians as a mark of respect, even if they do not hold a traditional Ph.D. Although it literally means “doctor,” the word often conveys professionalism and courtesy, and it is standard usage when addressing or referring to a medical doctor.
Could a learner say “O doutor tem sede” instead of “O doutor está com sede”?
Although the meaning might still be understood, the correct and idiomatic expression in Brazilian Portuguese is estar com sede. The construction with estar and com is how temporary states like thirst are conventionally expressed, so using ter sede would sound awkward or nonstandard to native speakers.