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Tens alguma sugestão para o jantar?

Tens alguma sugestão para o jantar?
Do you have any suggestion for dinner?
FromLesson 27inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Tens alguma sugestão para o jantar?

What does tens mean in this sentence?
tens is the second‐person singular present tense of the verb ter, so it means “you have.” Here it functions like the English “Do you have…?”
Why use tens instead of tem?
In European Portuguese tens pairs with the informal pronoun tu (“you” singular, familiar). tem is the third‐person singular form used with ele/ela (“he/she”) or você (“you” formal or in Brazilian Portuguese).
Could I say Você tem alguma sugestão para o jantar? instead?
Yes. Você tem… is perfectly correct and is the standard way in Brazil or in formal European contexts. In Portugal among friends or family you’ll more often hear tu tens….
Why is alguma used instead of algum?
Because sugestão is a feminine noun, so any accompanying determiner or adjective must agree in gender. For a masculine noun (e.g. prato) you’d say algum prato.
How would I ask for more than one suggestion?

Make both the determiner and the noun plural:
Tens algumas sugestões para o jantar?
(“Do you have any suggestions for dinner?”)

Why is there an article o before jantar?
Portuguese typically uses definite articles before meals (o jantar, o almoço, o pequeno‐almoço). It’s just a natural pattern, even if in English you often drop “the.”
Can I omit o and simply say para jantar?
Absolutely. Tens alguma sugestão para jantar? is equally correct and even more colloquial.
What part of speech is sugestão, and why does it have a tilde?
sugestão is a feminine noun meaning “suggestion.” The tilde over ã indicates a nasal vowel sound, a hallmark of many Portuguese words ending in -ão.
How do I pronounce jantar?
In European Portuguese j is pronounced [ʒ], like the French j in bonjour. The full word is [ʒɐ̃ˈtaɾ], roughly “zhan-TAR,” with a nasalized a and a tapped or guttural r at the end, depending on the region.
Is Tens alguma sugestão para o jantar? formal or informal?
It’s informal because it uses the tu form (tens). To be formal or polite you’d switch to você tem (“Você tem alguma sugestão para o jantar?”) or even address someone respectfully: O senhor tem alguma sugestão para o jantar?
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