Breakdown of Eu respondo às cartas da vizinha.
eu
I
de
of
a vizinha
the neighbor
a carta
the letter
responder a
to respond to
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Questions & Answers about Eu respondo às cartas da vizinha.
Why does the verb responder require the preposition a here?
In Portuguese, responder behaves like “to reply to” rather than just “to reply.” You always respond to something or someone, so you need the preposition a before the thing you’re replying to: responder a algo / a alguém.
What is às in respondo às cartas, and why is it used?
Às is the contraction of the preposition a + the feminine plural definite article as. Since responder takes a and cartas is feminine plural, a + as → às.
Why is it da vizinha and not just vizinha?
To express “the neighbor’s letters” you literally say “the letters of the neighbor.” The preposition de (of) combines with the feminine singular article a to form da. So da vizinha = “of the neighbor.”
What tense and person is respondo, and why is it used instead of a continuous form?
Respondo is first person singular in the simple present tense of responder. In European Portuguese, the simple present often covers both “I reply” and “I am replying.” You could say estou a responder for emphasis on the ongoing action, whereas Brazilian Portuguese might use estou respondendo, but the simple present is perfectly normal for habitual or current actions.
Can I omit the articles and say respondo cartas da vizinha?
No. Because responder requires the preposition a, and Portuguese generally uses the definite article with countable nouns here. You need respondo às cartas, not just respondo cartas.
How would I say “I reply to the neighbor’s letter” if there were only one letter?
Change both the noun and the contractions to singular:
Eu respondo à carta da vizinha.
Here à = a + a (preposition + feminine singular article).
How can I express “I reply to my neighbor’s letters” using a possessive pronoun?
Insert the possessive between the article and the noun:
Eu respondo às cartas da minha vizinha.
What if the neighbor is male? How would the sentence change?
Use the masculine article and noun:
Eu respondo às cartas do vizinho.
Here do = de + o (preposition + masculine singular article).