Breakdown of O senhor pode guiar-nos até à estação de comboios, por favor?
de
of
por favor
please
poder
to be able to
o comboio
the train
nos
us
guiar
to guide
até
to
a estação
the station
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Questions & Answers about O senhor pode guiar-nos até à estação de comboios, por favor?
What does O senhor mean and why is it used instead of a more informal address?
O senhor is a formal and respectful way to say “you” when addressing a man in Portuguese (Portugal). It is similar to using “Sir” in English and is preferred in polite or formal situations.
Why is the pronoun -nos attached to the verb guiar with a hyphen?
The pronoun -nos means “us.” In this sentence, it is attached to the infinitive guiar because, in Portuguese, object pronouns are often positioned in an enclitic form (i.e., attached to the end of the verb) when following a modal verb like pode. This hyphen shows that the pronoun is part of the verb phrase. Alternatively, the pronoun could appear before the conjugated verb.
Why is the main verb in its infinitive form (guiar) after the modal verb pode?
In Portuguese, when a modal verb such as poder (to be able to/can) is used, the subsequent main verb is placed in the infinitive form. Thus, pode (can) is correctly followed by guiar (to guide).
What does the phrase até à estação mean, and why is à used instead of simply a?
Até translates as “to” or “up to,” and estação means “station.” The combination à is a contraction of the preposition a and the feminine definite article a, which is required because estação is a feminine noun. Therefore, até à estação means “to the station.”
Why does the sentence end with a question mark even though it seems to be a request?
Although the sentence is a request, it is phrased in the form of a question, which is a common strategy in both English and Portuguese for making polite requests. The question mark indicates the interrogative form, inviting the listener to respond.
Can the pronoun nos be positioned differently in the sentence, and if so, how?
Yes, the pronoun nos can also be placed before the conjugated verb. For example, the sentence could be written as O senhor nos pode guiar até à estação de comboios, por favor? Both the enclitic position (attached to the infinitive as in guiar-nos) and the proclitic position (before pode) are grammatically acceptable in European Portuguese.