Breakdown of A médica explica o resultado do exame.
de
of
o exame
the exam
explicar
to explain
o resultado
the result
a médica
the doctor
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Questions & Answers about A médica explica o resultado do exame.
Why is there an A before médica? Can’t I just say Médica explica…?
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…
Why médica and not médico? How do profession words show gender?
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.).
What does the accent in médica do? What if it’s written medica?
- 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.
What tense is explica? Can it also mean “is explaining”?
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.
Could I say está explicando for the progressive?
That’s Brazilian Portuguese. In European Portuguese, use está a explicar for the progressive.
Why is it resultado do exame and not resultado de exame?
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)
How do I add “to the patient” or “to the woman patient” here?
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.
Should I use para or a after explicar?
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.
If I replace o resultado do exame with a pronoun, what happens?
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.
How do I say “explains it to him/her”?
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.
Is the word order always Subject–Verb–Object like this?
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.
Any pronunciation tips for European Portuguese in this sentence?
- 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.”
Do the articles and nouns agree in gender and number here?
Yes:
- feminine: a médica
- masculine: o resultado, o exame If you change number/gender, everything must agree: As médicas explicam os resultados dos exames.
Could I drop the articles like in English?
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.
Is exame the same as análise?
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.
The word o shows up a lot. How do I know if it’s “the” or “it”?
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.