A raiz cresceu na terra.

Because raiz is a feminine noun in Portuguese, so it takes a in the singular: a raiz = the root.

This is something you often just have to learn with the noun. The ending does not always tell you the gender. For example:

• a raiz
• uma raiz
• a raiz profunda = the deep root

Cresceu is the third-person singular preterite form of crescer.

• crescer = to grow
• cresceu = grew

In this sentence, it matches a raiz, which is singular, so cresceu means the root grew.

Because Portuguese normally contracts em + a into na.

So:

• em + a = na
• em + o = no

That means:

• na terra = in the soil / in the earth

This kind of contraction is very common in Portuguese.

Here, terra most naturally means soil, ground, or earth.

So in this sentence, na terra is understood as in the soil / in the ground.

A useful detail:

• terra = soil, land, earth
• Terra with a capital T = Earth (the planet)

Yes. This is a very normal, neutral Portuguese sentence:

• A raiz = subject
• cresceu = verb
• na terra = prepositional phrase

So it follows the common pattern subject + verb + complement.

You can change the order for emphasis, such as Na terra, a raiz cresceu, but the original sentence is the most straightforward version.

In Brazilian Portuguese, cresceu is pronounced roughly like kreh-SEW.

A couple of helpful points:

• the sc before e sounds like s
• the ending -eu sounds like ew
• the stress is on the last syllable: creSCEU

Sometimes, depending on context, yes. But in a simple standalone sentence like this, grew is usually the best translation.

Portuguese and English do not always match tense-for-tense perfectly, so a form like cresceu can sometimes be translated differently depending on the situation. Still, the most direct reading here is the root grew.

In normal Portuguese, that would usually sound incomplete or unnatural.

Portuguese often uses articles where English might not. So A raiz cresceu na terra is the natural full sentence.

Without a, it can sound like:

• a note
• a headline
• very telegraphic speech

So for regular speech and writing, keep a: A raiz cresceu na terra.

It would be:

A raiz cresce na terra.

That means The root grows in the soil or The root is growing in the soil, depending on context.

Compare:

• cresce = grows / is growing
• cresceu = grew

So the original sentence is talking about growth as a past event.