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O carro pertence a Pedro.

O carro pertence a Pedro.
The car belongs to Pedro.
FromLesson 16inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of O carro pertence a Pedro.

Pedro
Pedro
o carro
the car
pertencer a
to belong

Questions & Answers about O carro pertence a Pedro.

What does the verb pertence mean in the sentence "O carro pertence a Pedro"?
Pertence is the third-person singular form of the verb pertencer, which means "belongs." In this sentence, it indicates that the car is owned by Pedro.
Why is the preposition a used before Pedro?
In Portuguese, when expressing possession with the verb pertencer, the preposition a is required to introduce the possessor—much like the English "to" in "belongs to." So, "a Pedro" shows that the car belongs to Pedro.
Why does the sentence use the definite article o before carro but not before Pedro?
The noun carro is a common noun and is masculine, so it takes the definite article o to indicate a specific car. In contrast, Pedro is a proper noun referring to a person, and in this construction, proper names are used without an article.
Is the word order in "O carro pertence a Pedro" similar to that of English?
Yes, the overall structure is quite similar. In both Portuguese and English, the sentence begins with the subject ("O carro" / "The car"), followed by the verb ("pertence" / "belongs"), and ends with the prepositional phrase indicating ownership ("a Pedro" / "to Pedro").
Does the verb pertencer change form with different subjects?
Absolutely. Pertencer is conjugated to agree with its subject. For example, if the subject were plural—as in "os carros"—the verb would be conjugated as "pertencem" (e.g., "Os carros pertencem a Pedro").
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