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Ele envia o presente para a Maria.

Ele envia o presente para a Maria.
He sends the present to Maria.
FromLesson 8inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Ele envia o presente para a Maria.

Maria
Maria
ele
he
para
to
o
the
enviar
to send
o presente
the present

Questions & Answers about Ele envia o presente para a Maria.

What is the literal translation of the sentence "Ele envia o presente para a Maria"?
It translates as "He sends the present to Maria." This translation shows that the subject is doing the action of sending a specific gift to a person named Maria.
What are the roles of the different parts of the sentence?
In the sentence, "Ele" is the subject (meaning "he"), "envia" is the verb (conjugated in the present tense for the third person singular), "o presente" is the direct object (indicating the specific gift being sent), and "para a Maria" is a prepositional phrase that functions as an indirect object, showing the recipient (Maria) of the gift.
Why is the definite article "o" used before "presente"?
The noun "presente" is masculine and specific in this context, so the definite article "o" (meaning "the") is used to indicate that it is a particular gift. In Portuguese, articles are required for most nouns to signal definiteness.
Why is the preposition "para" used before "a Maria" instead of using just "a"?
In Portuguese, some verbs—like "enviar" (to send)—commonly introduce the recipient with the preposition "para", which suggests direction or destination. The phrase "para a Maria" clearly indicates that the present is being sent to Maria. Although sometimes you might see only an "a" with certain verbs or in informal speech, "para" is often preferred to emphasize the intended recipient.
What is the significance of the verb form "envia" in this sentence?
The verb "envia" is the present indicative form of "enviar" for third person singular. This form agrees with the subject "Ele" (he) and tells us that the action of sending is happening in the present or is a habitual action.
Portuguese is known as a pro-drop language, so why is the subject pronoun "Ele" explicitly included here?
Even though the verb ending already implies the subject in Portuguese, including "Ele" adds clarity or emphasis. This can be especially useful when the context requires clear identification of who is performing the action, or when contrasting with other potential subjects in the conversation.
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