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Questions & Answers about Eu agradeço a minha amiga.
Why is there a preposition a before minha amiga?
In Portuguese, when expressing gratitude toward a person, the verb agradecer usually requires the preposition a to indicate the recipient. So, Eu agradeço a minha amiga literally tells us “I thank my friend,” with a marking who is being thanked.
What does agradeço mean and how is it formed?
Agradeço is the first-person singular (eu) present tense form of the verb agradecer, which means “to thank.” The -ço ending is used in many Portuguese verbs ending in -ecer to maintain the soft c sound, making it essentially equivalent to “I thank” in English.
Why is the possessive minha used instead of meu?
The noun amiga is feminine, so the feminine form of the possessive “my” must be used. In Portuguese, minha agrees in gender with the feminine noun amiga (as opposed to meu, which is used with masculine nouns).
Is it necessary to include the subject pronoun Eu in this sentence?
No, it isn’t strictly necessary because the verb ending -o in agradeço already indicates the first person singular. However, including Eu can add emphasis or clarity—especially for learners—and is perfectly acceptable.
How does the sentence structure compare to its English equivalent?
The basic structure is similar to English (subject-verb-object). One key difference, though, is the need for the preposition a before the object when referring to a person. So while English simply says “I thank my friend,” Portuguese requires “Eu agradeço a minha amiga” to mark the relationship between the verb and the object.