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A enfermeira pediu para eu beber água agora.

A enfermeira pediu para eu beber água agora.
The nurse asked me to drink water now.
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Questions & Answers about A enfermeira pediu para eu beber água agora.

Why is there an a in A enfermeira? Do I always need it?

In Portuguese, a singular countable noun usually comes with an article in everyday speech. A enfermeira means the nurse (a specific nurse in the context).
You can omit the article in some contexts (titles, labels, headlines, or after certain verbs), but in normal sentences like this, A enfermeira is the natural choice.

What tense is pediu? Is it “asked” or “was asking”?

pediu is pretérito perfeito (simple past), typically translated as asked / requested (a completed action).
If you wanted was asking (ongoing background action), you’d usually use estava pedindo.

Why does it say pediu para eu beber instead of pediu eu beber?

Portuguese commonly uses pedir para + infinitive to mean ask (someone) to do something.
So pediu para eu beber = asked me to drink. Without para, pediu eu beber doesn’t work in standard Portuguese.

Why is it para eu beber and not para mim beber?

In standard Brazilian Portuguese, when a pronoun is the subject of an infinitive, you use the subject form: eu, você, ele/ela...
So: para eu beber, para você fazer, para ele ir.
You may hear para mim beber in informal speech, but it’s generally considered nonstandard; para mim is correct when it’s not the subject, e.g. para mim = for me (recipient): Isso é para mim.

Could I also say A enfermeira me pediu para beber água agora? Which is more common?

Yes. Both are common in Brazil:

  • A enfermeira pediu para eu beber água agora. (explicitly shows who will drink)
  • A enfermeira me pediu para beber água agora. (uses me as the object of pediu)

They usually mean the same thing. The first can feel a bit clearer because eu is right next to the infinitive phrase.

What’s the difference between pediu para eu beber and pediu que eu bebesse?

Both mean asked me to drink, but:

  • pediu para eu beber = very common, straightforward, conversational.
  • pediu que eu bebesse = uses que + subjunctive (bebesse), often a bit more formal or written, and sometimes sounds more like requested that I drink.
Why is it beber água without a (like beber a água)?

With foods/drinks in general, Portuguese often uses the noun with no article to mean “some / in general”:

  • beber água = drink water (as an activity / some water)
    If you say beber a água, it usually means drink the (specific) water—for example, the water that’s already in a glass or bottle you both know about.
Does agora have to be at the end? Where else can it go?

No, it can move around depending on emphasis:

  • A enfermeira pediu para eu beber água agora. (natural; emphasis on “now” at the end)
  • A enfermeira pediu para eu beber água agora mesmo. (stronger: “right now”)
  • Agora, a enfermeira pediu para eu beber água. (contrasts with another time; “now, (something changed)”) Most of the time, placing agora at the end is the most neutral in speech.
Is para often shortened to pra here?

Yes. In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, para is very commonly reduced to pra:

  • A enfermeira pediu pra eu beber água agora.
    This is normal and natural in speech, but in more formal writing you’ll often see para.
How do I pronounce enfermeira and pediu (roughly)?

A rough guide (Brazilian Portuguese):

  • enfermeira: en-fer-MEI-ra (stress on MEI)
  • pediu: pe-DJIU / pe-DEEU (the diu is one syllable; stress at the end)
    Also, the r in enfermeira is the lighter “tapped” sound many learners hear between vowels in Brazilian Portuguese.