Question 1

What does the word in bold mean in Portugal: apontador?

Accepted Answer

In European Portuguese, apontador is usually a pencil sharpener. Another common word for this in Portugal is afiadeira. If you mean a presentation pointer, say ponteiro or ponteiro laser (not normally apontador).

Question 2

Does secretária mean “desk” or “secretary”?

Accepted Answer

Both exist, and context decides:
- secretária (with an accent) = desk or a female secretary.
- secretaria (no accent) = a secretariat/administrative office.
In this sentence, da secretária clearly means “from the desk.”

Question 3

What is da here?

Accepted Answer

It’s the contraction of de + a = da (“from the”). Because secretária is feminine, we use a; with a masculine noun it would be do (de + o), e.g., do armário (“from the cupboard”).

Question 4

Why is it desapareceu da secretária and not na or sobre?

Accepted Answer

The verb desaparecer typically uses de to indicate the point of origin: “disappeared from.”  
- na/sobre a secretária = “on the desk” (location).  
- If you want to emphasize “from on top of,” you can say de cima da secretária.

Question 5

What does durante a aula add, and could I say na aula instead?

Accepted Answer

- durante a aula = “during the class,” focusing on the time span.  
- na aula often means “in class/at class” (a more general setting).  
Both can fit, but durante highlights when the disappearance happened.

Question 6

Why O apontador and not Um apontador?

Accepted Answer

Portuguese uses the definite article o/a when the item is specific or known in the context. O apontador suggests a particular sharpener (e.g., the one everyone knows). Um apontador would introduce an unspecified one.

Question 7

What tense is desapareceu?

Accepted Answer

It’s the simple past (pretérito perfeito) in European Portuguese: a completed event.  
- desaparecia (imperfect) = “was disappearing/used to disappear.”  
- tinha desaparecido (past perfect) = “had disappeared.”

Question 8

Can I move the time phrase to the start?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Durante a aula, o apontador desapareceu da secretária. That’s a common way to set the time frame. You can also front other phrases for emphasis, but overdoing it can sound marked.

Question 9

Is desaparecer transitive?

Accepted Answer

No, it’s intransitive (no direct object). You add a prepositional phrase for source/place: desaparecer de somewhere. You cannot say “desapareceu a secretária” to mean “disappeared from the desk.”

Question 10

How do I pronounce the key words?

Accepted Answer

- apontador: stress on the last syllable; the on is nasal (like French “bon”).  
- secretária: stress on tá (the accent marks it).  
- aula: the au is a diphthong like “ow” in “cow.”  
- The article o (unstressed) sounds like “u.”

Question 11

Could da secretária mean “from the (female) secretary” here?

Accepted Answer

Grammatically it could in other contexts, but with desaparecer de plus a person it’s odd. With the vocabulary in this sentence, it’s naturally read as “from the desk.” The accent also steers you away from secretaria (office).

Question 12

Can I drop the article in durante a aula?

Accepted Answer

No. Durante aula is ungrammatical. Use durante a aula (“during the class”), durante as aulas (“during classes in general”), or durante uma aula (“during a/one class”) depending on meaning.

Question 13

How do the contractions change in the plural?

Accepted Answer

- Feminine plural: de + as = das → das secretárias (“from the desks”).  
- Masculine plural: de + os = dos → dos armários (“from the cupboards”).  
Verbs agree too: os apontadores desapareceram.

Question 14

Are there regional differences I should know?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In Brazil, apontador is also “pencil sharpener,” but the piece of furniture is usually mesa or escrivaninha (not secretária). Brazilians often say sumiu for “disappeared,” whereas desapareceu is the standard choice in Portugal.

Question 15

Is there a nuance difference between da secretária and de cima da secretária?

Accepted Answer

- da secretária = “from the desk” (general).  
- de cima da secretária = “from the top of the desk” (explicitly from the surface). Use the latter if you want to stress where on the desk it was.

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