Breakdown of Ele tem idade para estudar sozinho.
ele
he
ter
to have
estudar
to study
sozinho
alone
para
to
a idade
the age
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ele tem idade para estudar sozinho.
What does Ele tem idade para estudar sozinho literally mean in English, and how would you translate it idiomatically?
Literally, it’s “He has age to study alone.” Idiomatically, it means “He is old enough to study on his own.”
Why do we use the verb ter (to have) for age in Portuguese instead of ser (to be)?
In Portuguese, age is always expressed with ter. You say Eu tenho 20 anos (“I have 20 years”), never Eu sou 20 anos. Think of age as something you “possess” rather than something you “are.”
What role does para play in this sentence?
Here para introduces the infinitive estudar, similar to the English “to” in “to study.” It also carries the sense of “enough for” or “suitable to,” so idade para estudar = “old enough to study.”
Could I say Ele é velho o suficiente para estudar sozinho instead?
Yes. Ele é velho o suficiente para estudar sozinho is more formal and literally “He is old enough to study alone.” Both are correct; ter idade para is simply more idiomatic in everyday speech.
Why isn’t there an article before idade? Would Ele tem a idade para… be possible?
When you speak of having “age” in a general sense, you drop the article: ter idade. Adding a (the) makes it sound like you’re pointing to a specific age already mentioned. So stick to Ele tem idade para… for a general statement.
Can I replace sozinho with só in estudar sozinho?
You could say estudar só, but in this context sozinho is more precise:
- sozinho = “alone, by himself,” emphasizing no help or company
- só = “only,” which can sometimes sound like “only study” rather than “study without help.”
Why is sozinho placed after estudar and not before?
In Portuguese, adverbs or adjectives modifying the action of the verb often follow the infinitive: estudar sozinho (“to study alone”). Placing it before—sozinho estudar—would be ungrammatical.
Is there any difference between tem idade para and tem idade de?
Both can introduce an infinitive, but:
- tem idade para + infinitive is the standard way to say “is old enough to…”
- tem idade de + infinitive appears in some fixed contexts (e.g. idade de votar, “voting age”) or in more formal registers. For everyday speech, para is your safest choice.
Could I also say Ele está com idade para estudar sozinho?
You could hear estar com idade in some regions, but it’s much less common. Native speakers overwhelmingly prefer ter idade para.
Does this construction differ between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese?
No: both varieties use ter idade para + infinitive to mean “be old enough to…” You may hear slight pronunciation or word-order differences, but the grammar is the same.