Breakdown of Agora o Pedro tem um trabalho a tempo parcial para pagar a propina.
Questions & Answers about Agora o Pedro tem um trabalho a tempo parcial para pagar a propina.
In European Portuguese it’s very common, especially in everyday speech, to use the definite article before a person’s first name:
- o Pedro – Pedro
- a Maria – Maria
It often sounds more natural with the article in Portugal, especially when people are talking about someone they know personally.
You don’t absolutely have to use it; you can also say Pedro tem um trabalho…. But:
- With the article (o Pedro) = colloquial, very common in speech.
- Without the article (Pedro) = a bit more neutral/formal or “written”.
In Brazilian Portuguese, using the article before names is much less common and can sound regional or marked, whereas in Portugal it’s standard in informal speech.
You can say both:
- Agora o Pedro tem um trabalho…
- O Pedro agora tem um trabalho…
Both mean essentially the same thing: Now Pedro has a job…
Differences are very slight and more about emphasis:
- Agora o Pedro tem… – puts a bit more emphasis on the time (“now, as of this moment, Pedro has…”).
- O Pedro agora tem… – starts by introducing Pedro first and then adds agora as an extra piece of information.
In normal conversation, both word orders are fine and natural. There’s no change in basic meaning.
Both forms come from the verb ter (to have):
- tem – 3rd person singular (ele/ela/você) → he/she has
- têm – 3rd person plural (eles/elas/vocês) → they have
In the sentence:
- o Pedro tem um trabalho… → Pedro is singular, so you must use tem.
Têm is only for plural subjects, e.g.:
- Os meus amigos têm um trabalho a tempo parcial.
My friends have a part‑time job.
Both exist, but they mean slightly different things.
tem um trabalho = has a (specific) job
You’re talking about one particular job/position.tem trabalho = has work / has work to do
This focuses on having work in general, not necessarily a job position. It can also mean “is busy with work”.
In your sentence, the idea is that Pedro has a part-time job (one concrete position), so um trabalho is the natural choice:
- Agora o Pedro tem um trabalho a tempo parcial…
Now Pedro has a part-time job…
Literally, a tempo parcial is something like “at partial time” → part‑time.
- tempo = time
- parcial = partial
- a here is a preposition used in a fixed expression
So:
- trabalho a tempo parcial = part‑time job
- trabalhar a tempo inteiro = to work full-time
The preposition a in these expressions is largely idiomatic – you just learn the chunk:
- a tempo parcial
- a tempo inteiro
Other prepositions (em tempo parcial, etc.) are not standard in this type of expression in European Portuguese.
Yes. In Portugal, you’ll often hear:
- um trabalho part-time
- um trabalho em part-time
This is quite common, especially in informal or semi‑informal contexts, and people will understand you perfectly.
However, trabalho a tempo parcial is:
- More formal/standard Portuguese
- What you’ll see in official documents, contracts, or more careful writing
So:
- Everyday speech: trabalho part-time is very common.
- More formal/written: trabalho a tempo parcial is preferred.
Para pagar expresses purpose: what the job is for.
- …um trabalho a tempo parcial para pagar a propina.
→ …a part-time job *in order to pay the tuition fee.*
So para + infinitive often means “to / in order to” (purpose):
- Estudo para passar no exame.
I study to pass the exam.
Alternatives:
- a pagar – in most contexts means “paying” (ongoing action), not purpose.
Tem um trabalho a pagar a propina sounds wrong or at least very odd here. - por pagar – usually means “unpaid / still to be paid”:
A propina está por pagar. → The fee is still unpaid.
So for “in order to pay”, para pagar is the correct and natural choice.
You’re right; the word changes meaning between varieties.
- In Portugal, propina almost always means tuition fee, especially university fees.
- Pagar a propina = to pay the tuition fee.
- In Brazil, propina usually means bribe.
- Dar propina a alguém = to bribe someone.
For tip (money left in a restaurant):
- In Portugal, the usual word is gorjeta.
- In Brazil, people may say gorjeta or informally gorja; propina is not “tip” there in standard usage.
So in your sentence:
- …para pagar a propina. → …to pay the tuition fee. (European Portuguese)
Both singular and plural are used:
- a propina (singular) – one specific fee, often for one academic year or period.
- as propinas (plural) – tuition fees in general, or multiple instalments/years.
Your sentence focuses on one concrete fee (for his studies now), so singular is natural:
- pagar a propina – pay the tuition fee (for this course/year).
You’ll see plural in phrases like:
- O aumento das propinas – the increase in tuition fees.
- As propinas estão muito caras. – Tuition fees are very expensive.
Both forms are correct; it depends on whether you’re thinking of one specific fee or tuition fees as a general category.
In Portuguese, when it’s obvious from context whose thing it is, people often don’t add a possessive like dele (his).
In this sentence, the subject is Pedro and we’re talking about a propina (the tuition fee). It’s naturally understood as his fee. So:
- para pagar a propina
is understood as
→ to pay his tuition fee.
You can add dele:
- para pagar a propina dele
But that’s usually only if you need to contrast or clarify, e.g.:
- O Pedro tem um trabalho para pagar a propina dele, não a do irmão.
Pedro has a job to pay his own tuition fee, not his brother’s.
So most of the time, native speakers omit dele/dela when it’s obvious.
Yes, in this sentence trabalho is countable:
- um trabalho = a job (one position)
Portuguese trabalho can be:
Uncountable (work in general)
- Tenho muito trabalho. – I have a lot of work.
- O trabalho pode ser cansativo. – Work can be tiring.
Countable (a job / a specific piece of work)
- Ele tem um trabalho a tempo parcial. – He has a part-time job.
- Fiz três trabalhos para a universidade. – I did three assignments/papers for university.
Context and the presence of um/uma/o/a tell you which meaning is intended.
Here tem is like simple “has” in English:
- Agora o Pedro tem um trabalho…
→ Now Pedro has a job… (a state/situation)
Portuguese present tense (tem) can cover both English simple present and present continuous, but with ter in this meaning it’s just has (possesses).
You could say something like:
- Agora o Pedro está a trabalhar a tempo parcial para pagar a propina.
Now Pedro is working part-time to pay the tuition fee.
This shifts the focus:
- tem um trabalho – He has a job (talking about the job as a thing/role).
- está a trabalhar – He is working (focusing on the activity).
Both are correct, but they emphasize slightly different aspects.