O motorista precisa verificar o pneu antes de pegar a estrada.

The driver needs to check the tire before hitting the road.

Breakdown of O motorista precisa verificar o pneu antes de pegar a estrada.

• precisar: to need
• antes de: before
• verificar: to check
• o motorista: the driver

Questions & Answers about O motorista precisa verificar o pneu antes de pegar a estrada.

Why are there articles like o and a in o motorista, o pneu, and a estrada?

Portuguese uses definite articles much more often than English.

• o motorista = the driver
• o pneu = the tire
• a estrada = the road

In English, some of these might sound more natural without the in certain contexts, but in Portuguese the articles are normal and expected. In pegar a estrada, the article is especially natural because the whole expression is idiomatic.

Does motorista only refer to a male driver?

No. Motorista is one of those nouns that usually keeps the same form for both genders.

• o motorista = the male driver
• a motorista = the female driver

So the article changes, but motorista stays the same.

Why is the verb precisa and not precisar?