Breakdown of A casa na qual queremos morar tem uma varanda grande.
a casa
the house
querer
to want
ter
to have
em
in
uma
a
grande
big
morar
to live
a varanda
the balcony
o qual
which
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Questions & Answers about A casa na qual queremos morar tem uma varanda grande.
Can I replace na qual with onde or em que?
Yes.
- A casa na qual queremos morar... (more formal).
- A casa em que queremos morar... (neutral/standard).
- A casa onde queremos morar... (very natural in everyday European Portuguese). All three are correct and mean the same here.
Is A casa que queremos morar correct?
Not in standard Portuguese. Morar requires the preposition em, and Portuguese doesn’t allow you to drop it:
- Correct: A casa em que queremos morar / A casa na qual queremos morar / A casa onde queremos morar.
- Incorrect: A casa que queremos morar. (You may hear this in colloquial Brazilian speech, but avoid it in PT‑PT and in careful writing.)
Why na qual and not no qual?
Because casa is feminine. The relative pronoun agrees with its antecedent:
- Feminine: a qual → em + a qual = na qual
- Masculine: o qual → em + o qual = no qual (e.g., o apartamento no qual...)
How is na formed?
It’s a contraction of a preposition plus the definite article:
- em + a = na
- em + o = no
- em + as = nas
- em + os = nos So em + a qual → na qual.
Does qual agree with the noun?
Yes. Use o qual, a qual, os quais, as quais, matching the antecedent. For the plural: As casas nas quais queremos morar....
Can I use aonde here?
No. Aonde is for movement with the preposition a (e.g., ir a, chegar a). Morar takes em, so use onde or em que, not aonde.
Do I need commas around na qual queremos morar?
No. This is a restrictive clause specifying which house, so no commas. With commas (A casa, na qual queremos morar, ...) it becomes non‑restrictive and sounds odd here unless the house is already uniquely identified.
Why tem and not há, possui, or com?
- tem: most natural to express possession/contents: A casa tem uma varanda grande.
- há: existential “there is/are”: Há uma varanda grande na casa.
- possui: more formal/literary: A casa possui uma varanda grande.
- com: fine in headlines/ads: Casa com varanda grande, but not as a full clause (é com is wrong).
Is varanda the right word in Portugal? What about terraço or sacada?
- varanda (PT‑PT): balcony, usually projecting from a wall.
- terraço: terrace/roof deck or a large open paved area (often bigger than a balcony).
- sacada: common in Brazil; understood in Portugal, but people usually say varanda.
Why is grande after the noun? Could I say uma grande varanda?
Post‑nominal is the default for physical size: uma varanda grande = a big balcony. Uma grande varanda is also possible; it’s often more emphatic and can suggest “impressively big.” With some nouns, pre‑nominal grande means “great” (e.g., um grande homem), but with varanda it usually still refers to size.
Does grande change with gender/number?
- Gender: no change. um quarto grande / uma varanda grande.
- Number: add -s in the plural. varandas grandes / quartos grandes.
Why uma and not a?
Because the balcony is being introduced as non‑specific: uma varanda = a balcony. Use a varanda when it’s specific or already known.
Why tem and not têm?
tem is 3rd person singular; the subject A casa is singular. têm (with circumflex) is 3rd person plural, e.g., As casas têm varandas grandes.
Do I need to include nós before queremos?
No. Portuguese usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending (-mos) already marks 1st person plural. Use Nós only for emphasis or contrast: Nós queremos....
Could I soften it with queríamos or gostaríamos de?
Yes:
- A casa na qual queríamos morar... = we’d like/wanted to live (more tentative/polite).
- A casa na qual gostaríamos de morar... = we would like to live (politer/more formal).
Can I use viver instead of morar?
Yes. morar (em) = to reside; viver (em) can also mean to reside (besides “to be alive”). Both work: onde queremos morar/viver. Keep the preposition em.
Do prepositions have to be kept before relative pronouns in Portuguese?
Yes. You can’t “strand” prepositions at the end. If the verb requires em/de/a/por, put it before the relative pronoun:
- Correct: A casa em que/na qual queremos morar.
- Incorrect: A casa que queremos morar em.
Can I drop the definite article and say Casa na qual queremos morar?
Normally no. That sounds like a headline or note. In full sentences, use the article with specific nouns: A casa na qual queremos morar....