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Questions & Answers about O ator fala com o diretor.
What tense and conjugation is used for the verb fala in this sentence?
Fala is the third person singular present form of the verb falar. Since o ator (the actor) is a third person singular noun, the verb agrees with it. In English, this translates to “speaks” or “is speaking.”
What role does the preposition com play in this sentence?
The preposition com means “with.” It indicates that the actor is speaking with the director, establishing the relationship between the two participants in the conversation.
Why are the definite articles o used before both ator and diretor?
In Portuguese, it is common and usually necessary to use definite articles with professions or roles to specify a particular person. O ator and o diretor use the masculine definite article o to indicate that they refer to a specific actor and a specific director.
How does the sentence structure compare to that of English?
The sentence O ator fala com o diretor follows a similar word order to English—Subject (o ator), Verb (fala), and Prepositional Phrase (com o diretor). This similarity helps English speakers recognize and understand the basic structure immediately.
Why is ator spelled without a c, unlike the English word actor?
Portuguese evolved differently from English, and many words underwent changes in spelling as the languages developed. The word ator is derived from Latin, and in Portuguese, the c was dropped, leading to the modern form ator rather than actor.