Breakdown of O painel foi pago com o dinheiro do prémio que o Pedro ganhou.
ser
to be
Pedro
Pedro
de
of
com
with
que
that
o dinheiro
the money
pagar
to pay
ganhar
to win
o painel
the panel
o prémio
the prize
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Questions & Answers about O painel foi pago com o dinheiro do prémio que o Pedro ganhou.
Why is foi pago used here instead of an active construction like someone paying the panel?
Portuguese often uses the passive voice to focus on the action’s result rather than the doer. The passive is formed with the verb ser (here foi) plus a past participle (pago). So O painel foi pago literally means “The panel was paid (for),” and the agent (who paid) is left unexpressed because it isn’t important or obvious in context.
What tense is ganhou, and when do we use it?
Ganhou is the pretérito perfeito simples (simple past). In European Portuguese it describes a completed action in the past (“Pedro won the prize”). It’s equivalent to English “he won” rather than “has won.”
Why do we say o Pedro instead of just Pedro?
In European Portuguese it’s common (especially in speech) to use the definite article before personal names. So you often hear o Pedro, a Maria. This is optional and less frequent in Brazilian Portuguese, but in Portugal it’s perfectly normal.
How does the contraction do prémio work?
Do is a contraction of de + o. Here de marks “of” or “from,” and o prémio is masculine singular. So dinheiro do prémio means “money of the prize,” i.e. “the prize money.”
Why is the preposition com used before dinheiro?
Com means “with” and indicates the means or instrument. When you pay for something, you pay with money: pagar algo com dinheiro. Using por here would sound odd, because por often expresses cause, reason or exchange in other contexts.
What role does que play in que o Pedro ganhou?
Que is a general relative pronoun in Portuguese, equivalent to English “that” or “which.” It connects the noun prémio with the clause o Pedro ganhou, so o prémio que o Pedro ganhou = “the prize that Pedro won.”
Why does prémio have an accent on the é?
In European Portuguese prémio carries a circumflex (ˆ) on é to show that the syllable is stressed and has an open vowel sound. Brazilian Portuguese spells it prêmio (with an acute accent), but in Portugal the older spelling prémio is retained.
Is painel masculine or feminine, and how can I tell?
Painel is masculine (o painel). Many Portuguese nouns ending in –l are masculine, but there are exceptions (e.g. a flor). When in doubt, check a dictionary or learn the article along with the noun.