Breakdown of Eu convido os amigos para jantar.
eu
I
o amigo
the friend
o jantar
the dinner
para
to
convidar
to invite
os
the
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Questions & Answers about Eu convido os amigos para jantar.
What does the sentence "Eu convido os amigos para jantar" mean in English, and how does each part contribute to that meaning?
It translates to "I invite the friends to dinner." Breaking it down: • Eu – means "I" (the subject). • convido – is the first person singular present tense of convidar, meaning "to invite." • os amigos – uses the definite article os (meaning "the") with amigos (friends), referring to a specific group. • para jantar – means "for dinner." Here, para is the preposition indicating purpose, and jantar is the infinitive form meaning "to dine" or "to have dinner."
Why is the subject pronoun Eu explicitly included when the verb form already indicates the first person singular?
Portuguese is a pro-drop language where subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb conjugation makes the subject clear. However, Eu is included here for emphasis or clarity, especially if you want to stress that I am the one doing the inviting.
What is the significance of convido in this sentence, and how is it formed?
Convido is the first person singular present tense form of the regular verb convidar (to invite). The ending -o signifies that the subject performing the action is I. Its regular conjugation pattern makes it straightforward once you become familiar with verbs ending in -ar in Portuguese.
Why is the definite article os used with amigos and could a possessive like meus be used instead?
The article os means "the" and is used to refer to a known or specific group of friends. In this context, os amigos suggests a shared understanding of which friends are being referred to. While you could use meus amigos (meaning "my friends") to emphasize personal connection or ownership, the choice between them depends on the nuance you want to convey in the sentence.
What role does the phrase para jantar play, and why is the preposition para necessary before the infinitive?
Para jantar is an adverbial phrase that explains the purpose of the invitation—it tells us what the friends are being invited to do, namely, to have dinner. The preposition para is used to introduce the purpose or intended action when followed by an infinitive verb like jantar.
Are there any notable differences in how this sentence might be structured or used in European Portuguese versus Brazilian Portuguese?
The sentence is grammatically correct in both European and Brazilian Portuguese. One subtle difference is that in casual Brazilian Portuguese, speakers often omit the subject pronoun Eu because the verb conjugation clearly indicates the subject, resulting in "Convido os amigos para jantar." Otherwise, the overall structure and use of articles, verbs, and prepositions remain very similar in both variants.