Eles preferem partilhar a refeição, em vez de comer sozinhos.

They prefer to share the meal instead of eating alone.

Breakdown of Eles preferem partilhar a refeição, em vez de comer sozinhos.

• comer: to eat
• eles: they
• sozinho: alone
• preferir: to prefer
• partilhar: to share
• a refeição: the meal
• em vez de: instead of

Questions & Answers about Eles preferem partilhar a refeição, em vez de comer sozinhos.

What does partilhar mean in this sentence, and how does it differ from compartilhar?

Partilhar means "to share," specifically implying the act of dividing and enjoying something together—such as a meal. In European Portuguese (Portugal), partilhar is the common term, while in Brazilian Portuguese you would more often hear compartilhar, even though both words carry a similar meaning.

Why is the verb comer used in its infinitive form instead of being conjugated?

After the preposition em vez de ("instead of"), Portuguese grammar requires the following verb to stay in the infinitive form. That’s why comer appears as the unconjugated form rather than matching the subject’s conjugation.

What does the phrase em vez de mean and how is it functioning here?

The phrase em vez de translates to "instead of." It is used to introduce an alternative action that contrasts with the action previously mentioned, emphasizing a preference for one choice (sharing the meal) over another (eating alone).

Why is the adjective sozinhos in the masculine plural form?

The adjective sozinhos agrees with the subject eles, which is masculine and plural. In Portuguese, adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun or pronoun they modify, so sozinhos correctly reflects that the action of eating alone is being considered for a plural group.

How does the overall structure of the sentence illustrate the expression of preferences in Portuguese?

The sentence is structured by first stating the preferred action with the main verb preferem (conjugated for eles) followed by the infinitive partilhar to indicate what they like to do. The contrasting action is introduced with em vez de followed by another infinitive comer, paired with sozinhos to describe the alternative scenario. This clear contrast highlights the method of expressing a choice or preference between two actions in Portuguese.