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Questions & Answers about Eu comprei dois livros ontem.
Do I have to say Eu, or can I just say Comprei dois livros ontem?
You can drop Eu. Portuguese is a pro‑drop language, so Comprei dois livros ontem is perfectly natural. Use Eu when you want emphasis or contrast (e.g., Eu comprei, não ele).
What tense is comprei, and how is it different from comprava or tenho comprado?
- comprei = simple past (pretérito perfeito): a completed action at a specific time (yesterday).
- comprava = imperfect (pretérito imperfeito): past habit or ongoing background action (I used to buy / I was buying).
- tenho comprado = present perfect in Portuguese: repeated/ongoing action up to now (I have been buying), not a single completed event like English “I have bought.”
Why is it dois and not duas?
Dois is the masculine form of “two.” It must agree with the noun. Livro is masculine, so dois livros. For a feminine noun, use duas (e.g., duas revistas).
Why is livros plural? How do I form the plural?
Any count of 2 or more requires the noun in the plural: dois livros. For most nouns ending in -o, just add -s: livro → livros. (This sentence uses the regular pattern.)
Do I need an article here? Why not os dois livros?
No article is needed with a plain numeral when you mean “two books” in general: dois livros. Os dois livros means “the two books” (a specific pair both you and the listener have in mind) or “both books.”
Where can I place ontem?
Common and natural positions:
- End: Eu comprei dois livros ontem.
- Beginning: Ontem eu comprei dois livros. (Often with or without a comma in writing.)
- After the verb: Eu comprei ontem dois livros. All are fine; placement shifts emphasis slightly (end = neutral; beginning emphasizes the time).
Do I need a preposition with ontem? Is em ontem correct?
No preposition is needed. Say ontem by itself. With parts of the day, use set phrases like ontem de manhã, ontem à tarde, ontem à noite.
How do I pronounce the sentence?
- Eu: like “eh-oo” blended to [ew].
- comprei: [kõm-PREI]. The om is nasal (like French “on”); ei sounds like English “ay.”
- dois: roughly “doys” [dojs]; in some accents (e.g., Rio), final s sounds like “sh.”
- livros: stress on the first syllable: LI-vros; the r is a quick flap [ɾ].
- ontem: first syllable nasal: “ON-tem”; the final m nasalizes the vowel (it isn’t a full “m” sound).
How would I say “I didn’t buy any books yesterday”?
Use não with nenhum: Eu não comprei nenhum livro ontem. Note that Eu não comprei dois livros ontem means “I didn’t buy two books” (implying a different number), not “I didn’t buy any.”
How would this change for other subjects (you/he/we/they)?
- Eu comprei
- Você/Ele/Ela comprou
- Nós compramos (same form as present; context or a time word like ontem clarifies)
- Vocês/Eles/Elas compraram
What’s the difference between dois and dos? They look similar.
- dois = “two.”
- dos = “of the” (contraction of de + os). Example: Comprei dois dos livros que você recomendou. = “I bought two of the books you recommended.”
Can I leave out livros if it’s obvious from context?
Yes. You can say Comprei dois ontem if it’s clear you’re talking about books.
How do I say “both books” or “the two books”?
Use os dois livros or the more formal ambos os livros. Both imply a specific pair known to speaker and listener.
Is comprei irregular?
No. Comprar is a regular -ar verb. First person singular in the simple past ends in -ei (e.g., falei, estudei, comprei).
How do I turn this into a yes/no question? Do I need inversion?
No inversion. Keep the same order and use rising intonation. For example, asking someone: Você comprou dois livros ontem? If you’re double-checking about yourself, you can echo: Eu comprei dois livros ontem? (surprised/confirming).
Is a comma required after Ontem at the start?
It’s optional with a short adverbial like Ontem. You’ll see both Ontem, eu comprei… and Ontem eu comprei… in practice.
Can I say Eu comprei uns dois livros ontem?
Yes. Uns dois livros means “about two books” / “a couple of books,” indicating approximation.
Is Eu always capitalized like English I?
No. eu is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence or in titles. Unlike English, Portuguese doesn’t capitalize the first‑person pronoun by default.