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Questions & Answers about O convidado chega à festa.
What does “O convidado” mean, and why is it written that way?
“O convidado” is the subject of the sentence. O is the masculine singular definite article (“the”) and convidado means “guest.” Together, they form “the guest.” The article and noun agree in gender and number, which is an essential aspect of Portuguese grammar.
Why is the verb written as “chega,” and what does it indicate about the subject?
The verb chega is the third-person singular present indicative form of chegar, meaning “to arrive.” It agrees with the singular subject “O convidado,” showing that the guest is carrying out the action of arriving. Using the present tense is common in Portuguese to narrate events or actions happening in the present.
How is “à festa” formed, and why does it use an accent?
In Portuguese, when the preposition a (meaning “to” or “at”) is immediately followed by the feminine singular definite article a (used with feminine nouns like festa), they contract to form à. The grave accent in à indicates this contraction (a + a = à). This rule is standard in Portuguese, ensuring that the preposition and article are correctly combined.
What does the word “festa” mean in this context, and could it be used in different contexts?
Festa means “party” or “celebration” in Portuguese. In this sentence, it specifically refers to a social event. The word is versatile and can be used to describe various kinds of gatherings such as birthday parties, festivals, or any celebratory event.
How would the sentence change if the guest were female?
If the guest were female, both the article and the noun must change to their feminine forms. The sentence would become A convidada chega à festa, where A is the feminine definite article, and convidada is the feminine noun for “guest.” The rest of the sentence remains the same because the prepositional contraction rule applies regardless of gender.
Why is the present tense used in this sentence, and can it be replaced by another tense?
The present tense in O convidado chega à festa is used to describe an action as it is happening or to create a narrative immediacy. It’s a stylistic choice common in storytelling or describing events. If the action had already happened, you might use the past tense (chegou), as in O convidado chegou à festa, to indicate that the arrival occurred in the past.