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Questions & Answers about Eu tenho reunião com o Pedro.
Why is there no article before reunião even though the noun is feminine?
In European Portuguese, it’s common to drop the article when talking about scheduled events like meetings. So instead of saying uma reunião, one often just says reunião to indicate a planned appointment. This construction is idiomatic in Portugal, whereas in Brazilian Portuguese you might more frequently hear tenho uma reunião.
Why does the sentence use an article before Pedro (i.e., com o Pedro) when referring to a person?
In Portuguese, it is typical to include a definite article before personal names in many contexts. Using o before Pedro is a conventional way to refer casually or familiarly to someone. Although this practice may seem unusual compared to English, it is a standard feature of European Portuguese.
What tense is used in tenho, and why is it appropriate for indicating a future meeting?
Tenho is the first person singular form of the verb ter in the present tense. In Portuguese, the present tense is often used to refer to scheduled future events, especially those on one’s agenda. Thus, even though the meeting may occur later, the sentence naturally employs the present tense to indicate that the meeting is a set appointment.
Can one also say Eu tenho uma reunião com o Pedro? If so, what differences does it make?
Yes, you can say Eu tenho uma reunião com o Pedro. The difference is subtle: including uma explicitly marks reunião as a countable event, which might be more common in Brazilian Portuguese. In European Portuguese, omitting the article is a conventional way to refer to scheduled events, so tenho reunião is more idiomatic. Both constructions are understood, but the usage without the article aligns with native European Portuguese usage.