Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about O Pedro tem um plano novo.
Why is there an article before “Pedro” in the sentence “O Pedro tem um plano novo”?
In European Portuguese, it is common to place the definite article O before male first names. Although this isn’t typical in English, where we usually drop the article with proper names, in Portuguese the article is often used as part of everyday speech. It does not translate directly into English—it mainly serves as a conventional usage practice.
Why does the adjective novo come after the noun plano instead of before it, as it would in English?
In Portuguese, adjectives typically follow the noun they modify. Thus, plano novo is the standard order. This differs from English, where adjectives usually come before the noun (i.e., “new plan”). While adjectives in Portuguese can sometimes precede the noun for stylistic reasons or to modify meaning, the usual structure is to place them after the noun.
What role does the word um play in “um plano novo,” and how does it differ from the article used with “Pedro”?
The word um is an indefinite article in Portuguese, equivalent to “a” or “an” in English. It indicates that the noun plano is nonspecific. In contrast, the definite article O in O Pedro signifies a specific person. So in the sentence, um plano novo means “a new plan” (any new plan), while O Pedro marks a particular individual.
How does the verb tem function in this sentence, and how is it similar to or different from the English verb “to have”?
The verb tem is the third-person singular present tense form of ter, which means “to have.” In this sentence, tem corresponds to “has” in English since it agrees with O Pedro (he). Unlike English, which generally uses “has” for third-person singular and “have” for other forms, Portuguese conjugates ter differently for each subject (e.g., eu tenho, tu tens, eles têm).
Does the sentence “O Pedro tem um plano novo” follow the typical subject-verb-object (SVO) order, and is that common to both Portuguese and English?
Yes, the sentence follows the SVO order: O Pedro (subject), tem (verb), and um plano novo (object). This structure is similar to English, making it easier for English speakers to recognize the basic sentence pattern. Although Portuguese offers some flexibility in word order for emphasis, the standard construction for simple statements aligns closely with English.