Breakdown of O Pedro disse que a sua antiga empresa não oferecia nenhum seguro aos funcionários.
Pedro
Pedro
não
not
que
that
dizer
to say
a
to
antigo
old
a empresa
the company
oferecer
to offer
o funcionário
the employee
o seguro
the insurance
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Questions & Answers about O Pedro disse que a sua antiga empresa não oferecia nenhum seguro aos funcionários.
What tense are the verbs disse and oferecia in, and what do they signify in this sentence?
Disse is in the simple past (preterite) form of dizer and translates as “said.” Oferecia is in the imperfect form of oferecer, which is used to describe a past state or habitual action. In this sentence, it indicates that the company habitually did not provide insurance.
How is the possessive adjective a sua used here, and whose does it refer to?
The phrase a sua is a possessive adjective that agrees with the feminine noun empresa. In this context, it refers to Pedro’s own company (meaning “his former company”). Although sua can be ambiguous in some contexts, the sentence makes it clear that it is Pedro’s.
What does the adjective antiga mean in this sentence, and should it be translated as “old” or “former”?
In this context, antiga means “former,” indicating that Pedro is no longer associated with that company. While antiga can sometimes mean “old,” here it specifically implies that the company is no longer current.
What is the function of nenhum in nenhum seguro, and why is it used?
Nenhum is a negative quantifier meaning “no” or “not any.” When paired with seguro (insurance), it emphasizes that the company did not provide any insurance whatsoever to its employees. It firmly negates the possibility of even a minimal offer.
How is aos funcionários constructed, and what does it mean in English?
The phrase aos funcionários is a contraction of the preposition a (“to”) and the definite article os (“the”), forming aos, which means “to the.” Thus, aos funcionários translates to “to the employees.”
Why does the sentence begin with O Pedro instead of just Pedro? Does the article O have a specific significance?
In European Portuguese, it is common and natural to use a definite article before a person’s first name, especially for male names. O Pedro simply means “Pedro” and conveys a familiar or conventional mode of address, without any extra meaning beyond standard usage.