O poste elétrico caiu na rua.

The electricity pole fell in the street.

Breakdown of O poste elétrico caiu na rua.

• em: in
• cair: to fall
• a rua: the street
• o: the

Questions & Answers about O poste elétrico caiu na rua.

What does poste elétrico mean exactly?

It means an electricity pole, power pole, or utility pole. In natural English, utility pole is often the most idiomatic choice. Portuguese poste can mean a post or pole, and elétrico tells you it is related to electricity.

Why is it o poste and not um poste?

O means the, while um means a/an.

So:

• o poste elétrico = the electric pole
• um poste elétrico = an electric pole

In this sentence, the speaker is referring to a specific pole, or presenting it as a definite object in the scene.

Why is elétrico after poste?

In Portuguese, descriptive adjectives often come after the noun.

So:

• poste elétrico = literally pole electric
• natural English = electric pole

This noun + adjective order is very common in Portuguese. Putting elétrico before the noun would sound unusual here.