Os bombeiros trabalharam toda a noite para controlar o incêndio florestal.

the night

Breakdown of Os bombeiros trabalharam toda a noite para controlar o incêndio florestal.

• trabalhar: to work
• para: to
• todo: all

Questions & Answers about Os bombeiros trabalharam toda a noite para controlar o incêndio florestal.

What does “os” mean here, and why do we need it before “bombeiros”?

“Os” is the masculine plural definite article in Portuguese, equivalent to “the” in English.

• os bombeiros = the firefighters
• We use the definite article because we’re talking about a specific group of firefighters that the speaker has in mind (e.g. the ones dealing with that fire), not firefighters in general.
• In Portuguese, definite articles are used much more often than in English, especially before plural countable nouns like professions when they refer to specific people.

What is the difference between “bombeiro” and “bombeiros”, and how do you refer to female firefighters?

• bombeiro = firefighter (male or generic, singular)
• bombeiros = firefighters (masculine plural or mixed group)

For specifically female firefighters:

• bombeira = female firefighter (singular)
• bombeiras = female firefighters (plural)

If the group is mixed or you don’t know, you use the masculine plural:

• os bombeiros = “the firefighters” (could include women)

How do you pronounce “Os bombeiros trabalharam toda a noite para controlar o incêndio florestal” in European Portuguese?