Question 1

Why is there an A before médica? Can’t I just say Médica explica…?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, singular count nouns normally take an article. A is the feminine definite article (the), marking a specific doctor. Médica explica… sounds like a headline; in normal speech use the article. For a non‑specific doctor, use the indefinite: Uma médica explica…

Question 2

Why médica and not médico? How do profession words show gender?

Accepted Answer

Médica is feminine; médico is masculine. The article matches: a médica, o médico. Many professions ending in -o form the feminine with -a (with exceptions). Some are invariant (o/a dentista), and some use different words (o/a agente). A polite alternative in Portugal is a doutora (Dra.).

Question 3

What does the accent in médica do? What if it’s written medica?

Accepted Answer

- médica has an acute accent to place stress on the first syllable: MÉ‑di‑ca; it means “female doctor.”
- medica (no accent) is the verb medicar (to medicate), 3rd person singular present: “he/she medicates.” The accent changes both pronunciation and meaning.

Question 4

What tense is explica? Can it also mean “is explaining”?

Accepted Answer

Explica is 3rd person singular present indicative of explicar. In European Portuguese, the simple present can express:
- a habitual/general fact
- a present action given the right context
For a clearly ongoing action, EP prefers estar a + infinitive: A médica está a explicar o resultado do exame.

Question 5

Could I say está explicando for the progressive?

Accepted Answer

That’s Brazilian Portuguese. In European Portuguese, use está a explicar for the progressive.

Question 6

Why is it resultado do exame and not resultado de exame?

Accepted Answer

Portuguese typically uses the definite article with specific nouns. do = de + o (“of the”). O resultado do exame = “the result of the (particular) test.” Variations:
- resultado de um exame = result of a test (unspecified)
- resultado de exames = test results (in general)
- plural with article: os resultados dos exames (de + os)

Question 7

How do I add “to the patient” or “to the woman patient” here?

Accepted Answer

Explicar takes a for the indirect object: “explain something to someone.”
- masculine: ao doente (a + o), or ao paciente (less common than doente in Portugal)
- feminine: à doente (a + a), or à paciente
Example: A médica explica o resultado do exame ao doente.

Question 8

Should I use para or a after explicar?

Accepted Answer

Use a: explicar algo a alguém. Para with a person sounds off here. You can also use the indirect clitic lhe: A médica explica‑lhe o resultado do exame.

Question 9

If I replace o resultado do exame with a pronoun, what happens?

Accepted Answer

As a direct object, use o (masc. sing.), placed after the verb in neutral EP clauses:
- A médica explica‑o. = “She explains it.”
After negation or certain triggers, it goes before the verb:
- A médica não o explica.
If the verb form ends in -r, -s, or -z (e.g., infinitive explicar), those letters drop and the pronoun becomes ‑lo/‑la:
- A médica vai explicá‑lo.

Question 10

How do I say “explains it to him/her”?

Accepted Answer

Combine lhe (to him/her) with o (it) as lho, attached after the verb:
- A médica explica‑lho. = “She explains it to him/her.”
This is correct and relatively formal. In everyday speech many prefer:
- A médica explica isso a ele/ela.
- or keep only the indirect clitic: A médica explica‑lhe o resultado.

Question 11

Is the word order always Subject–Verb–Object like this?

Accepted Answer

Default is SVO. You can front the object for emphasis, often with a pause:
- O resultado do exame, a médica explica.
With a clitic, EP keeps it attached to the verb:
- O resultado do exame, a médica explica‑o.
A common emphatic cleft is:
- É a médica que explica o resultado do exame.

Question 12

Any pronunciation tips for European Portuguese in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

- ex varies:
  - explica: ex‑ before consonant → “sh”: eSH‑PLEE‑kɐ.
  - exame: ex‑ before vowel often → “gz”: eGZAH‑m(uh).
- In EP, unstressed final e is a very weak, closed sound (a short, almost whispered “uh”).
- A médica: stress the first syllable (MÉ‑).
- In resultado, s between vowels sounds like “z.”

Question 13

Do the articles and nouns agree in gender and number here?

Accepted Answer

Yes:
- feminine: a médica
- masculine: o resultado, o exame
If you change number/gender, everything must agree: As médicas explicam os resultados dos exames.

Question 14

Could I drop the articles like in English?

Accepted Answer

Generally no. Portuguese uses articles far more than English. You might drop them in headlines, but in normal speech say A médica explica o resultado do exame, not Médica explica resultado de exame.

Question 15

Is exame the same as análise?

Accepted Answer

They overlap but differ:
- exame is broad (any medical exam/test: imaging, physical exam, etc.).
- análise/análises often refers to lab work (especially blood/urine): as análises ao sangue.
So resultado do exame could be an imaging report; resultado das análises suggests lab results.

Question 16

The word o shows up a lot. How do I know if it’s “the” or “it”?

Accepted Answer

Context and placement:
- Article o (the): before a noun, no hyphen: o resultado, o exame.
- Direct‑object clitic o (it/him): attached to a verb with a hyphen in EP (explica‑o) or placed before the verb after certain triggers (não o explica, que o explica). Writing makes the function clear.

A médica explica o resultado do exame.

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