A Maria está feliz porque ela tem um bolo.

she

Breakdown of A Maria está feliz porque ela tem um bolo.

• Maria: Maria
• um: a
• o bolo: the cake
• estar: to be
• feliz: happy
• porque: because
• ter: to have

Questions & Answers about A Maria está feliz porque ela tem um bolo.

Why do we use A before Maria?

In European Portuguese, it's very common to add the feminine definite article a before a woman's name in everyday speech. This helps identify the person as a specific individual, much like saying "the Maria" in a literal sense. Although it might sound unusual to English speakers, it's a normal and correct usage in Portuguese.

Why is it está instead of é?

In Portuguese, estar generally refers to a temporary state, condition, or mood. Here, está shows that Maria's happiness is seen as a current and possibly changing emotion. Using é would indicate a permanent characteristic, which doesn't fit as well when talking about how someone feels in the moment.

Why is porque written as one word?

The word porque (meaning "because") is written as a single word in responses or explanations of a reason. In Portuguese, there are different forms:
• porquê (with an accent) can be used as a noun meaning "reason";
• por que (two words) is used in questions meaning "why" or "for what reason";
• porque (one word, no accent) is used to say "because."

Why do we use ela instead of the name again?

In Portuguese, pronouns like ela are used to avoid repeating a proper name in a sentence. After introducing A Maria, we refer back to her as ela so the sentence flows more naturally.

Why is it um bolo instead of o bolo?

Using the indefinite article um indicates that we're talking about "a cake" in general, not a specific or previously mentioned cake. If we used o bolo, it would mean "the cake," implying a particular cake we already know about.