Questions & Answers about Aquele homem está aqui.
Why is aquele used here? What does it mean exactly?
Aquele is a demonstrative word meaning that or that one over there.
In Aquele homem está aqui, it points to a specific man and suggests some distance. In Brazilian Portuguese, the basic contrast is often:
- este/esta = this
- esse/essa = that
- aquele/aquela = that over there / that one farther away
In real Brazilian speech, esse often covers both this and that in many situations, but aquele still strongly suggests greater distance, either physical or sometimes emotional/discursive distance.
So aquele homem means that man or that man over there.
Why doesn’t homem have an article like o before it?
Because aquele already works with the noun directly.
In Portuguese, demonstratives like este, esse, and aquele can go straight before a noun:
- aquele homem
- essa casa
- este livro
So Aquele homem is completely normal.
You may sometimes hear combinations like aquele homem versus o homem, but they mean different things:
- o homem = the man
- aquele homem = that man
Why is it está and not é?