Question 1

Why is there an a in toda a vizinhança?

Accepted Answer

In European Portuguese, when you use toda (meaning “whole” or “entire”) before a noun, you normally insert the definite article that matches the noun’s gender and number. Here vizinhança is feminine singular, so you need a:  
- toda a vizinhança = “the whole neighbourhood.”  
Without a, the phrase sounds incomplete or non-standard.

Question 2

Could I say toda vizinhança or todos os vizinhos instead of toda a vizinhança?

Accepted Answer

They’re not interchangeable:  
• toda a vizinhança treats the neighbourhood as one collective unit (“the whole neighbourhood”).  
• todos os vizinhos literally means “all the neighbours” (each individual person).  
Dropping the article (i.e. toda vizinhança) is unidiomatic in Portugal.

Question 3

How do I know that vizinhança is feminine?

Accepted Answer

Many Portuguese nouns ending in -ança are feminine (e.g. esperança, confiança). As a rule of thumb, look at the article or adjective endings: you say a vizinhança, esta vizinhança, toda a vizinhança – all showing feminine agreement.

Question 4

Why is the verb conhece in the singular when it sounds like “all the neighbourhood” (many people) know him?

Accepted Answer

The subject is the noun phrase toda a vizinhança, which is grammatically singular. Even though it refers to many people, it’s treated as one collective entity. Therefore, you use the 3rd person singular conhece. If you rephrased it as os vizinhos conhecem, then you’d use the plural conhecem.

Question 5

Why is it conhece o senhor and not conhece ao senhor?

Accepted Answer

The verb conhecer takes a direct object, never an indirect object. In Portuguese, indirect objects use prepositions (e.g. dar a alguém, falar com alguém). But conhecer alguém is direct, so you have conhece o senhor, not conhece ao senhor.

Question 6

Why is there no pronoun like ele before toca guitarra? Wouldn’t that clarify the subject?

Accepted Answer

Portuguese is a pro-drop language: verb endings already tell you the subject.  
• toca is 3rd person singular, so it can only refer to he, she, or it.  
Adding ele (ele toca) is possible for emphasis or contrast, but you usually omit it.

Question 7

Why use o senhor here? What does it convey?

Accepted Answer

senhor is a polite term for an adult or older man you don’t know by name. Adding the article o turns it into “the gentleman” or “the man” in third person. In everyday EU Portuguese you rarely drop the article with titles – you say o senhor, a senhora, o médico, etc.

Question 8

Why is there no article before guitarra? In English we often say “plays the guitar.”

Accepted Answer

When talking about playing instruments in a general sense, European Portuguese often omits the article:  
• tocar guitarra = “to play guitar.”  
If you want to specify a particular guitar you could say toca a guitarra (he plays the guitar), but generic instrument-playing usually drops it.

Question 9

What role does que play in o senhor que toca guitarra? Could I use quem instead?

Accepted Answer

Here que is a relative pronoun meaning “that/who” and links to the verb toca. It acts as the subject of toca. You cannot use quem in a subject position like this – quem is used more loosely (“the person who”) or after prepositions. So for a simple restrictive clause you always use que:  
• o senhor que toca guitarra = “the man who plays guitar.”

Toda a vizinhança conhece o senhor que toca guitarra.

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