Breakdown of A enfermeira deu instruções ao paciente sobre como tomar o medicamento certo.
tomar
to take
como
how
dar
to give
sobre
on
a enfermeira
the nurse
a instrução
the instruction
o paciente
the patient
o medicamento
the medication
certo
correct
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Questions & Answers about A enfermeira deu instruções ao paciente sobre como tomar o medicamento certo.
What does the word deu mean in this sentence, and which tense is it in?
Deu is the simple past (preterite) form of the verb dar (to give). In this context, it means “gave.”
Why is the sentence’s subject A enfermeira preceded by the feminine article A instead of O?
The noun enfermeira means “nurse” in the feminine form. Portuguese marks gender in nouns and articles, so A is used for a female nurse, while a male nurse would be o enfermeiro.
How does the contraction ao in ao paciente work?
In Portuguese, ao is a contraction of the preposition a (“to”) and the masculine singular definite article o (“the”). Therefore, ao paciente translates to “to the patient.”
What is the role of the phrase sobre como tomar o medicamento certo in this sentence?
This phrase explains the subject of the instructions. It literally means “about how to take the right medication,” clarifying what the nurse’s instructions were regarding.
In this context, what does certo mean, and could it be replaced by another adjective?
The word certo means “right” or “correct.” It specifies that the patient should take the proper medication. While similar adjectives such as correto or adequado can be used in other contexts, certo is the common and natural choice here.
How is the structure of this sentence similar to or different from English word order?
The sentence follows a subject-verb-object order, which is similar to English. However, Portuguese often places additional phrases (like sobre como tomar o medicamento certo) after the main clause, while English might shift the order or use different connectors. Also, the contraction ao is a feature specific to Portuguese.
If the nurse were male, how would the sentence change?
If the nurse were male, the subject would change from A enfermeira to O enfermeiro. The revised sentence would be: O enfermeiro deu instruções ao paciente sobre como tomar o medicamento certo.