Breakdown of A babá deixou o babador no trocador e a chupeta no berço.
e
and
deixar
to leave
no
on the
no
in the
Questions & Answers about A babá deixou o babador no trocador e a chupeta no berço.
Why is there an A before babá and o/a before the other nouns?
Portuguese uses definite articles much more often than English.
In this sentence:
- a babá = the nanny / babysitter
- o babador = the bib
- o trocador = the changing table / changing pad
- a chupeta = the pacifier
- o berço = the crib
Even when English might leave out the, Portuguese often keeps it. So using the articles here sounds natural and normal.
Why is it deixou?
Deixou is the pretérito perfeito form of deixar for ele/ela/você.
So:
- eu deixei
- você/ele/ela deixou
- nós deixamos
- eles/elas/vocês deixaram
In this sentence, a babá is a singular subject, so the verb is deixou.
This tense is used for a completed action in the past: the nanny left / put those things somewhere.
Does deixar here mean to leave or to put?