Breakdown of A Ana decora o quarto com flores.
Ana
Ana
o quarto
the room
com
with
a flor
the flower
decorar
to decorate
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Questions & Answers about A Ana decora o quarto com flores.
Why is Ana’s name preceded by the definite article A in this sentence?
In European Portuguese it’s common to use the definite article before a person’s first name. A Ana shows that the article agrees with her feminine gender and reflects a traditional or familiar way of referring to someone.
What does the verb decora mean, and how is it used here?
Decora is the third-person singular present indicative form of the verb decorar, meaning “to decorate.” In this sentence, it indicates that Ana is decorating the room with flowers, describing either a current or habitual action.
Why is the noun quarto preceded by the masculine article o?
Quarto is a masculine noun that means “room” (or “bedroom”). The definite article o is used because in Portuguese nouns have grammatical gender, and here it marks the room as a specific entity.
What is the role of the preposition com in the sentence?
The preposition com means “with” in English. It introduces the phrase flores, specifying the instrument or means by which Ana decorates the room—namely, using flowers.
Is the word order in this sentence similar to English, and if so, how?
Yes, the structure is quite similar. The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object pattern: A Ana (subject) decora (verb) o quarto (object) com flores (prepositional phrase). This similarity helps English speakers understand the basic sentence construction in Portuguese.
Why is there no article before flores?
In this context, the absence of an article before flores indicates that the flowers are mentioned in a general, non-specific sense. If the speaker intended to refer to particular flowers known to both the speaker and listener, using as flores would be appropriate.