A polícia dá passagem à ambulância.

Breakdown of A polícia dá passagem à ambulância.

a
to
a polícia
the police
a ambulância
the ambulance
dar passagem
to give way
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Questions & Answers about A polícia dá passagem à ambulância.

Why is a polícia singular and feminine?
In European Portuguese, a polícia is a collective noun meaning the police force, and it’s grammatically feminine singular. When you mean individual officers, you typically use o polícia (a male officer), a polícia (a female officer), or the plural os polícias (police officers). So the sentence treats “police” as a single institution.
Why is the verb (singular) and not dão (plural)?
Because the subject a polícia is grammatically singular. Even though English treats “the police” as plural, Portuguese treats a polícia (the police force) as singular, so the verb is .
What does the expression dar passagem mean, and are there alternatives in Portugal?

Dar passagem is an idiomatic collocation meaning “to give way/let pass.” Common European Portuguese alternatives include:

  • ceder passagem (very standard; also used on road signs: “Ceda a passagem”)
  • deixar passar
  • abrir caminho (para) (clear a path)
Why is it à ambulância with a grave accent?
Because it’s the contraction of the preposition a (to) required by the verb pattern “dar algo a alguém” + the feminine definite article a (the). So a + a = à. The grave accent signals this contraction; pronunciation does not add a syllable. Other useful contractions: a + as = às, a + o = ao, a + os = aos. With an indefinite article there is no contraction: dar passagem a uma ambulância.
Could I say para a ambulância instead of à ambulância?
Not with this verb pattern in European Portuguese. With dar (algo) the recipient takes a: dar passagem à ambulância. Para often marks purpose or destination. You can use para with some other expressions, e.g., abrir caminho para a ambulância.
Why isn’t there an article before passagem (why not a passagem)?
Because dar passagem is a fixed collocation; the noun is used in a generic, non-specific way. You’d only use a passagem if you were referring to some specific “passage/right-of-way” already identified in the context.
Can I change the word order, like A polícia dá à ambulância passagem?
It’s grammatical, but the neutral order is dá passagem à ambulância (direct object + indirect object). Fronting the indirect object is also possible for emphasis: À ambulância, a polícia dá passagem. These alternatives sound more marked or formal.
Can I replace à ambulância with a pronoun?
Yes: A polícia dá‑lhe passagem. In European Portuguese, in affirmative main clauses the clitic pronoun typically comes after the verb with a hyphen (enclisis). In negatives or some other contexts, it comes before: A polícia não lhe dá passagem. Here lhe = “to her/it” (the ambulance).
How would I say this as a progressive, past, or future action?
  • Progressive (EP): A polícia está a dar passagem à ambulância.
  • Past (pretérito perfeito): A polícia deu passagem à ambulância.
  • Near future: A polícia vai dar passagem à ambulância.
  • Simple future (more formal): A polícia dará passagem à ambulância. With pronoun: A polícia deu‑lhe passagem / vai dar‑lhe passagem / dar‑lhe‑á passagem (the last is very formal).
What do all these accents do: , à, polícia, ambulância?
  • : acute accent marks the stressed vowel and distinguishes it from da (“of the,” from de + a).
  • à: grave accent marks the contraction a + a; it doesn’t change stress.
  • polícia: the acute on í shows the stress falls on that syllable: po‑‑cia.
  • ambulância: the circumflex â signals a specific stressed vowel quality; the stress falls on lân: am‑bu‑lân‑cia.
Is there a difference between a polícia (force) and talking about officers?

Yes:

  • a polícia = the police (institution) or a female police officer (context decides).
  • o polícia = a male police officer (colloquial but common).
  • os polícias = police officers (plural).
    If you want a neutral job title, you can say o/a agente da polícia.
Could I omit the first article and say Polícia dá passagem à ambulância?
In headlines, notes, or captions, yes—articles often get dropped for brevity. In normal speech and writing, keep the article: A polícia dá passagem…
Is dar irregular? How is it conjugated in the present?
Yes. Present indicative: dou, dás, dá, damos, dão. Your sentence uses (3rd person singular).