Breakdown of Guardei a medalha de bronze numa caixa ao lado do relógio de prata.
eu
I
de
of
em
in
uma
a
guardar
to keep
o relógio
the watch
a caixa
the box
a prata
the silver
a medalha
the medal
o bronze
the bronze
ao lado de
next to
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Questions & Answers about Guardei a medalha de bronze numa caixa ao lado do relógio de prata.
What tense is the verb guardei, and how would I translate it?
Guardei is the 1st person singular of the pretérito perfeito simples in European Portuguese. It describes a completed action in the past, equivalent to English “I put away” or “I stored”.
Why does the sentence use a medalha de bronze instead of uma medalha de bronze?
Using a medalha de bronze (definite article) refers to a specific medal already known or identified in context: “the bronze medal.” If you said uma medalha de bronze, it would mean “a bronze medal” in a non-specific sense.
What is numa, and why is it formed that way?
numa is the contraction of the preposition em + the feminine indefinite article uma:
em + uma → numa
It means “in/into a” and avoids saying em uma separately.
Why do we say ao lado do relógio de prata instead of a lado do relógio or ao lado de o relógio?
ao lado de is a fixed expression meaning “next to.”
- ao = preposition a
- masculine definite article o
- Then de introduces the thing you’re next to: ao lado do relógio.
Omitting the contraction or the de would break this standard structure.
Why are the words bronze and prata not inflected to agree in gender or number?
When bronze and prata denote the material something is made of, they remain invariable. You always say de bronze and de prata, regardless of whether the noun they modify is singular/plural or masculine/feminine.
Could I swap the order of the object and the location? For example:
Guardei numa caixa, ao lado do relógio de prata, a medalha de bronze?
Yes. Portuguese allows flexibility in word order, especially with prepositional phrases. Moving numa caixa ao lado do relógio de prata before a medalha de bronze is grammatically correct; it just shifts the focus or style.
What’s the difference between guardar and colocar? Can I say coloquei a medalha de bronze numa caixa?
- guardar = “to store” or “to put away” (emphasis on safekeeping).
- colocar = “to place” or “to put” (emphasis on physically putting).
You can say coloquei a medalha de bronze numa caixa (“I placed the bronze medal in a box”), but it doesn’t carry the nuance of “storing it safely” that guardei does.
Could I describe the watch as relógio prateado instead of relógio de prata?
You can, but there’s a nuance:
- relógio de prata implies it’s made of silver.
- relógio prateado means silver-coloured or silver-plated, not necessarily genuine silver.
In the phrase numa caixa ao lado do relógio de prata, is it clear that it’s the box next to the watch, not the medal?
Yes. The structure numa caixa ao lado do relógio de prata clearly modifies caixa. If the intention were “I stored the medal next to the watch,” you’d omit caixa or say Guardei a medalha de bronze ao lado do relógio de prata.