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 dá (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 dá.
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: dá, à, polícia, ambulância?
- dá: 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‑lí‑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 dá (3rd person singular).