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Questions & Answers about O copo está na mesa.
What does O copo está na mesa translate to in English?
It translates to The cup is on the table. Here, O is the masculine definite article meaning the, copo means cup, está is the conjugated form of estar indicating a temporary state or location, and na mesa is a contraction of em a mesa, meaning on the table.
Why is the contraction na used before mesa instead of writing em a separately?
In Portuguese, when the preposition em (meaning in or on) is followed by the feminine definite article a (meaning the), they contract to form na. This contraction streamlines speech and writing and is a standard grammatical rule in Portuguese.
What does using the article O in O copo indicate about the noun copo?
Using O shows that copo is a masculine noun. In Portuguese, nouns have gender, and the masculine definite article O is used with masculine nouns. If the noun were feminine, the article a would be used instead.
Why is the verb está used in this sentence instead of é?
Portuguese has two verbs for to be: ser and estar. Estar is used for conditions or states that are temporary, such as locations or moods. In this sentence, está emphasizes that the cup is currently on the table, rather than describing an inherent, permanent characteristic.
Can the word order of O copo está na mesa be rearranged for emphasis in Portuguese?
Yes, Portuguese allows for flexible word order. While the standard order is Subject-Verb-Prepositional Phrase (O copo está na mesa), you can rearrange it for emphasis. For example, Na mesa está o copo emphasizes the location. However, regardless of the order, the meaning remains the same.