Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Este livro tem um título interessante sobre história antiga. - This book has an interesting title about ancient history.

"Este" is a demonstrative adjective meaning "this". It is used to specify which book is being referenced—implying that the book is either near the speaker or has already been mentioned—rather than just any book. In contrast, "o" simply means "the" and does not convey that extra sense of immediacy or specificity.

How does the verb "tem" function in this sentence compared to the English word "has"?

The verb "tem" is the third person singular form of "ter", which translates to "to have" in English. Here, it indicates possession, just like "has" does in English, so the sentence "Este livro tem um título interessante sobre história antiga." means "This book has an interesting title about ancient history."

Why is the adjective "interessante" placed after the noun "título", and does its position affect the meaning?

In Portuguese, adjectives can often be positioned either before or after the noun. When placed after the noun—as in "um título interessante"—the adjective typically offers a descriptive, neutral quality. The positioning does not change the overall meaning; it's a common structural choice that subtly influences the tone but not the content of the description.

How do the adjectives in "um título interessante" and "história antiga" agree with their respective nouns?

Adjectives in Portuguese must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. In "um título interessante", "título" is masculine singular, and "interessante" is in a form that applies to both masculine and feminine singular nouns. In "história antiga", "história" is feminine singular, so the adjective becomes "antiga" to match. Thus, each adjective is correctly inflected to agree with its noun.

What role does the prepositional phrase "sobre história antiga" play in the sentence?

The phrase "sobre história antiga" functions as a prepositional phrase that specifies the topic or subject of the title. Translated as "about ancient history," it indicates that the book’s title relates to the field of ancient history, providing contextual information about the book’s content.

Why is there no article before "história antiga" in the prepositional phrase?

In Portuguese, when discussing topics or general subjects, it is common to omit the definite article. Much like how we say "books about ancient history" in English without the article "the" before "history," Portuguese often drops the article before "história antiga" to refer to the subject matter in a general, non-specific sense.