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A polícia na fronteira carimba cada passaporte com rapidez.

A polícia na fronteira carimba cada passaporte com rapidez.
The police at the border stamp each passport quickly.
FromLesson 24inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about A polícia na fronteira carimba cada passaporte com rapidez.

Why is there a definite article before polícia?
In Portuguese most common nouns, especially institutions or collective bodies, take a definite article. Saying a polícia (“the police”) treats it as a specific, unified entity. Omitting the article would sound unusual unless in very specific contexts (e.g. headlines).
What does na in na fronteira stand for?
na is a contraction of em + a (“in/at” + feminine singular “the”). Since fronteira is feminine singular, em a collapses into na, giving “at the border.”
Why does the verb appear as carimba and not carimbam?
Because the grammatical subject is a polícia, which is singular. The verb carimbar must agree in number and person with its subject, so you use the 3rd person singular form carimba (“stamps”).
Why is it cada passaporte (singular) instead of cada passaportes (plural)?
The word cada always goes with a singular noun and means “each.” Even though multiple passports are stamped, you refer to them one by one conceptually: cada passaporte = “each passport.”
Could we use the adverb rapidamente instead of the phrase com rapidez?
Yes. Saying carimba cada passaporte rapidamente is perfectly correct and means the same (“quickly”). Choosing com rapidez (“with speed”) is slightly more formal or emphatic, while rapidamente is the straightforward adverbial form.
Can com rapidez be placed before cada passaporte instead of after it?
Yes. You can say carimba com rapidez cada passaporte, and it’s grammatically correct. Placing com rapidez at the end, however, is more common when you want to stress the action of stamping.
What gender is fronteira, and how do we know?
fronteira is a feminine noun, as signaled by the article a in a fronteira (hence na fronteira). All modifiers and articles must agree in gender and number: e.g. a fronteira internacional, not o fronteira internacional.
What exactly does carimbar mean, and are there synonyms?
carimbar means “to stamp” or “to mark with an official stamp,” especially passports or documents. Synonyms include selar (“to seal,” more general) or carimbar com selo (“stamp with a seal”). However, carimbar is the most precise term for passport stamping.
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