Maria mostra quadros na galeria.

Maria mostra quadros na galeria.
Maria shows paintings in the gallery.
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Questions & Answers about Maria mostra quadros na galeria.

What does the verb mostra mean in this sentence?
Mostra is the third-person singular present indicative form of the verb mostrar, which means "to show" or "to display." In this sentence, it translates as "shows" indicating what Maria is doing.
What does the noun quadros refer to here?
Quadros is the plural form of quadro, which typically refers to "paintings" or "pictures." In this context, it means that Maria is showing multiple paintings in the gallery.
What does the prepositional phrase na galeria indicate, and why is it written that way?
The phrase na galeria translates to "in the gallery." It is a contraction of em + a, where em means "in" and a is the feminine definite article "the" used with galeria (a feminine noun). This contraction is standard in Portuguese when combining the preposition with a feminine singular article.
What is the grammatical structure of the sentence Maria mostra quadros na galeria?

The sentence follows a straightforward structure: • Subject: Maria
• Verb: mostra
• Direct Object: quadros
• Adverbial (Place): na galeria
This ordering (subject-verb-object plus an additional locative phrase) is similar to English word order and is common in Portuguese.

Why is the subject Maria explicitly stated even though Portuguese often drops subject pronouns?
Portuguese is a pro-drop language, which means that subject pronouns can be omitted when the verb conjugation clearly indicates the subject. However, including Maria here adds clarity and emphasis, ensuring that it is immediately obvious who performs the action.