Minha cunhada prefere ir de ônibus, porque o trânsito fica mais lento à tarde.

My sister-in-law prefers to go by bus, because traffic gets slower in the afternoon.

Breakdown of Minha cunhada prefere ir de ônibus, porque o trânsito fica mais lento à tarde.

• minha: my
• porque: because
• ir: to go
• a tarde: the afternoon

Questions & Answers about Minha cunhada prefere ir de ônibus, porque o trânsito fica mais lento à tarde.

Why is it minha cunhada and not meu cunhada?

Because cunhada is a feminine noun in Portuguese, so the possessive adjective has to agree with it.

• meu = my, used with masculine singular nouns
• minha = my, used with feminine singular nouns

Examples:

• meu irmão = my brother
• minha irmã = my sister
• meu cunhado = my brother-in-law
• minha cunhada = my sister-in-law

So minha cunhada is correct because cunhada is feminine.

What exactly does cunhada mean?

Cunhada means sister-in-law.

It is the feminine form of:

• cunhado = brother-in-law
• cunhada = sister-in-law

This word can refer to:

• your spouse’s sister, or
• your sibling’s wife

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, it is a very common family word.

Why is it prefere ir? Why are there two verbs together?