Breakdown of Perdi uma meia na lavandaria do hotel.
eu
I
de
of
em
in
perder
to lose
uma
a
a meia
the sock
o hotel
the hotel
a lavandaria
the laundry
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Questions & Answers about Perdi uma meia na lavandaria do hotel.
Why is there no subject pronoun like eu in the sentence?
In European Portuguese you can omit the subject pronoun because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. Perdi (I lost) is 1st person singular in the simple past (pretérito perfeito), so eu is unnecessary and usually dropped in everyday speech.
What tense is perdi, and how does it compare to English?
Perdi is the pretérito perfeito simples (simple past) of perder (to lose). It corresponds to the English simple past “I lost.” Unlike English, Portuguese has distinct forms for different past tenses.
What does meia mean here, and why is it singular?
Meia means “sock” (or “stocking” in some contexts). It’s singular because the speaker lost exactly one sock. If they had lost a pair or more, you’d say meias (plural).
Why is it uma meia and not um meia?
Meia is a feminine noun, so it takes the feminine indefinite article uma (“a”). Um is used only with masculine nouns.
What does lavandaria mean, and is it the same as lavanderia?
Lavandaria means “laundry” or “laundry service/room.” In Portugal you’ll almost always see lavandaria, while in Brazil people more often say lavanderia, but they refer to the same concept.
Why does it say na lavandaria instead of em a lavandaria?
Na is a contraction of em (in/at) + a (the, feminine). Portuguese frequently contracts prepositions and definite articles:
em + a → na
em + o → no
What does do hotel mean, and why is there no article before hotel?
Do is a contraction of de (of/from) + o (the, masculine). Hotel is masculine, so de + o hotel becomes do hotel, meaning “of the hotel” or “the hotel’s.” You don’t need another article before hotel because the contraction already includes it.
Could I also say Perdi uma meia no hotel? What’s the nuance?
Yes, Perdi uma meia no hotel (“I lost a sock in the hotel”) is grammatically correct and simpler. Saying na lavandaria do hotel adds detail: you lost it specifically in the hotel’s laundry area/service.