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Questions & Answers about O cliente compra um bolo.
What tense is used in the sentence “O cliente compra um bolo,” and how is the verb form constructed?
The sentence uses the present indicative tense of the verb comprar. The form compra is the third person singular, indicating that the action of buying is either happening right now or is a habitual activity. In translation, it means “The client buys a cake.”
Why is there a definite article o before cliente?
In Portuguese, nouns are typically accompanied by an article. Here, o is the masculine definite article meaning “the.” It signals that we are referring to a specific client. Unlike English, where the article may sometimes be omitted in certain contexts, Portuguese grammar generally requires its use.
Why is bolo preceded by the indefinite article um instead of a definite article?
The word um is the masculine indefinite article translating to “a” or “an” in English. Its use indicates that the cake mentioned isn’t a specific or previously identified cake, but rather any cake in a general sense.
How does the word order in this Portuguese sentence compare to the standard English word order?
The sentence follows the same Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order as English. O cliente is the subject, compra is the verb, and um bolo is the object, directly mirroring the structure of “The client buys a cake.”
Can the noun cliente refer to both male and female individuals, and what determines its article?
Yes, cliente is a common gender noun and can be used for both male and female clients. The article you use will change with the gender: o cliente for a male client and a cliente for a female client. The article must agree in gender with the noun it accompanies.
Is the sentence “O cliente compra um bolo” specific to European Portuguese, or is it also used in Brazilian Portuguese?
This sentence is standard in both European and Brazilian Portuguese. While there may be minor pronunciation or intonation differences between the two variants, the grammar, vocabulary, and overall structure remain consistent.
Are there any important pronunciation details or phonetic features in words like bolo that learners should notice?
In the word bolo, the stress typically falls on the first syllable (pronounced BO-lo). Additionally, while the basic pronunciation remains similar in both European and Brazilian Portuguese, slight variations in vowel sounds and intonation might be encountered depending on the regional accent. Practicing regularly with native speakers can help solidify these subtleties.