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O aplicativo do banco funciona bem hoje.

O aplicativo do banco funciona bem hoje.
The bank app works well today.

Breakdown of O aplicativo do banco funciona bem hoje.

hoje
today
do
of the
o banco
the bank
o aplicativo
the app
funcionar
to work
bem
well
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Questions & Answers about O aplicativo do banco funciona bem hoje.

Why does do banco mean of the bank? What are do and da?

Do is a contraction of de + o (of/from + the masculine singular). So o aplicativo do banco = the bank’s app / the app of the bank.
Similarly:

  • da = de + a (feminine singular)
  • dos = de + os (masculine plural)
  • das = de + as (feminine plural)
Why is it o aplicativo and o banco? How do I know the gender?

Portuguese nouns have grammatical gender. In this sentence:

  • aplicativo is masculine → o aplicativo
  • banco is masculine → o banco You generally learn gender with the noun (like vocabulary). Many nouns ending in -o are masculine, but there are exceptions, so it’s best to memorize the article with the noun.
Is aplicativo the same as app? Do Brazilians say app instead?

Both exist. Aplicativo is the full Portuguese word and is very common in writing and formal contexts. In everyday speech and tech contexts, many Brazilians also say app (pronounced something like épi).
So you might hear:

  • O aplicativo do banco…
  • O app do banco…
Why is the word order O aplicativo do banco and not something like O banco aplicativo?

Portuguese typically expresses possession with de (of): [thing] de [owner].
So the bank’s app becomes o aplicativo do banco, not a noun-noun sequence like English sometimes allows.

What does funciona literally mean here?

Funciona comes from funcionar and literally means it functions/it works. With apps, devices, and services it’s the natural verb for works properly / runs:

  • O aplicativo funciona = The app works
  • Não funciona = It doesn’t work
Why is funciona in the -a ending? Is that present tense?

Yes. Funciona is 3rd person singular present: (ele/ela) funciona = it works.
The subject is o aplicativo (singular), so the verb is singular.

Could I say está funcionando bem hoje instead of funciona bem hoje?

Yes, and there’s a nuance:

  • funciona bem hoje = general statement about today (sounds simple and direct)
  • está funcionando bem hoje = emphasizes the app is currently working well today (often implying it sometimes doesn’t) Both are natural in Brazilian Portuguese.
What exactly does bem modify? Does it mean well or good?

Bem is an adverb meaning well, and it modifies the verb funciona:

  • funciona bem = works well Bom/boa are adjectives meaning good and would modify a noun:
  • um bom aplicativo = a good app
Where does hoje go in the sentence? Can it move?

Yes, hoje (today) is flexible:

  • O aplicativo do banco funciona bem hoje.
  • Hoje, o aplicativo do banco funciona bem.
  • O aplicativo do banco hoje funciona bem. (possible, but can sound more emphatic/contrastive) The most neutral is usually at the end or the beginning.
Do I need the article O? Can I drop it?

In Portuguese, you normally keep the article:

  • O aplicativo do banco funciona bem hoje. (most natural) Dropping it (Aplicativo do banco funciona…) is possible in headlines, notes, or very informal/telegraphic style, but it’s not the default in normal speech.
Does do banco specifically mean a physical bank building, or the bank company?

In this context it means the bank institution/company (your bank as a service), not the building. Portuguese uses banco for both, but the context (app) clearly points to the institution.

If it’s my bank’s app, should I say o aplicativo do meu banco?

Yes. To specify my bank, add a possessive:

  • O aplicativo do meu banco funciona bem hoje. Similarly:
  • do seu banco (your bank)
  • do nosso banco (our bank)
Can I replace do banco with a possessive like seu (its) to mean the bank’s app?

Not really in this case. Seu/sua usually means your (or sometimes his/her/its depending on context), and it can be ambiguous. Portuguese typically prefers de + noun for clarity:

  • Best: o aplicativo do banco Using seu could be confusing (your app? the app belonging to someone previously mentioned?).
How would I make it plural: The bank’s apps work well today?

You’d change both the noun and the verb:

  • Os aplicativos do banco funcionam bem hoje.
    (os aplicativos plural; funcionam plural)
Is there any pronunciation detail I should watch for in do banco funciona bem hoje?

Common points in Brazilian Portuguese:

  • do often sounds like du (short u sound)
  • banco: the an is nasalized (bã), and co is like ku
  • hoje: the j sounds like the s in measure (a voiced “zh” sound)