Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about O Pedro corre até a escola.
Why is O Pedro used instead of just Pedro in the sentence?
In Portuguese, it’s common to include a definite article before a proper name, especially in informal contexts in Portugal. Using O Pedro (with the masculine article O) emphasizes that you’re talking about a specific person and can add familiarity to the statement. This contrasts with English, where we typically omit the article before a name.
What tense and person is indicated by the verb corre, and what is its literal meaning?
Corre is the present indicative form of the verb correr, used here in the third person singular. It literally means “runs,” indicating that Pedro is currently running. The verb form gives enough context to understand who is performing the action without needing an explicit subject.
What does the preposition até mean in this context, and why is it used with a escola?
In this sentence, até means “to” or “up to” and is used to denote the destination or endpoint of Pedro's action. It indicates that Pedro is running until he reaches the school. The nuance here is that Pedro’s movement is directed toward a specific endpoint—the school.
Why is escola preceded by the article a instead of o?
Portuguese nouns carry grammatical gender. Escola (school) is a feminine noun, which means it takes the feminine definite article a (resulting in a escola). This is similar to how adjectives or articles agree with the gender of the noun they modify in other Romance languages.
Is there any significant difference between saying até a escola and para a escola?
Yes, there is a subtle difference. Até a escola emphasizes Pedro’s movement to the very endpoint—that is, he runs up to and stops at the school. In contrast, para a escola would focus more on the destination or purpose of his run rather than the endpoint. While both constructions indicate movement towards the school, the choice of preposition slightly shifts the emphasis of the sentence.