Breakdown of A Ana tapa o nariz com uma máscara quando entra no autocarro cheio.
Questions & Answers about A Ana tapa o nariz com uma máscara quando entra no autocarro cheio.
In European Portuguese it is very common to use the definite article before people’s first names:
- A Ana é minha amiga. – Ana is my friend.
- O João trabalha comigo. – João works with me.
It usually sounds neutral or slightly informal and familiar.
You can also say Ana tapa o nariz… without the article; that is still correct, just a bit more neutral or formal in tone.
You do not use the article when directly addressing the person:
- Ana, vem cá. – Ana, come here.
With body parts, Portuguese normally uses the definite article instead of a possessive, when it’s clear whose body part it is:
- A Ana tapa o nariz. – literally “Ana covers the nose.”
- Lavei as mãos. – I washed (the) hands. = I washed my hands.
The possessor is understood from the subject, so o nariz naturally means her nose here.
You only add a possessive or dele/dela if there could be ambiguity:
- Ela tapou o nariz dela, não o nariz do bebé.
She covered her own nose, not the baby’s nose.
No; that sounds wrong in Portuguese.
The reflexive pronoun se is used when the action is clearly on the person as a whole, not on a specific body part with an article:
- A Ana tapa-se. – Ana covers herself (e.g. with a blanket, coat, etc.)
With a concrete body part, you normally just say:
- A Ana tapa o nariz.
- A Ana tapa os olhos.
A reflexive version with the body part (tapa-se o nariz) is not idiomatic in this context.
Tapa is the 3rd person singular present indicative of tapar.
- tapar = to cover, to block (an opening), to put a lid on.
Present tense of tapar:
- eu tapo
- tu tapas
- ele / ela / você tapa
- nós tapamos
- vocês / eles / elas tapam
In this sentence, A Ana tapa o nariz = Ana covers/blocks her nose (so that she doesn’t breathe the air).
Here com is used to show the instrument: what she uses to cover her nose.
- tapa o nariz com uma máscara – she covers her nose *with a mask.*
Some alternatives and their nuances:
de máscara usually describes a state / appearance:
- A Ana entra no autocarro de máscara.
Ana gets on the bus wearing a mask.
- A Ana entra no autocarro de máscara.
com máscara (without uma) is also common when the mask is not specific:
- A Ana entra no autocarro com máscara.
Ana gets on the bus with a mask on.
- A Ana entra no autocarro com máscara.
So:
- tapar algo com X – use X as a tool/instrument to cover it.
- estar / entrar / ir de máscara – to be/go/enter wearing a mask.
Our sentence describes a habitual action in general time:
- A Ana tapa o nariz… quando entra no autocarro cheio.
Ana covers her nose… when she gets on a crowded bus (whenever that happens).
For habitual/general facts, Portuguese uses the present indicative on both sides of quando.
The future subjunctive (quando entrar) is used for a specific future situation:
- Quando entrar no autocarro, tape o nariz.
When you get on the bus, cover your nose. (a specific future instruction)
So:
- quando entra – general/habitual.
- quando entrar – future event that hasn’t happened yet.
No is a contraction of the preposition em + the definite article o:
- em + o = no
- em + a = na
- em + os = nos
- em + as = nas
The verb entrar normally takes the preposition em:
- entrar em casa – to go into the house
- entrar em Lisboa – to enter Lisbon
- entrar no autocarro – to get on the bus (literally “enter in the bus”)
In Portuguese, em (here no) often covers both English in and on for transport:
- no autocarro – on the bus
- no comboio – on the train
- no carro – in the car
- no avião – on the plane
The exact English preposition depends on the noun, but in Portuguese it’s usually just em (contracted to no/na/nos/nas).
To mean on top of the bus, you’d specify:
- em cima do autocarro – on top of the bus.
Cheio literally means full.
With a bus, um autocarro cheio is understood as full of people, i.e. crowded.
You can make this explicit:
- um autocarro cheio de gente – a bus full of people.
Grammatically, cheio agrees with autocarro (masculine singular):
- o autocarro cheio
- a carruagem cheia (feminine singular)
- os autocarros cheios (masculine plural)
- as carruagens cheias (feminine plural)
In Portuguese, adjectives usually come after the noun:
- um autocarro cheio
- uma casa grande
- um livro interessante
Putting cheio before autocarro (cheio autocarro) is not idiomatic.
Only some adjectives (like bom, mau, grande, pequeno, velho, novo) commonly go before the noun, and often with a change of nuance. Cheio is not one of those.
Yes. Both orders are correct:
- A Ana tapa o nariz com uma máscara quando entra no autocarro cheio.
- Quando entra no autocarro cheio, a Ana tapa o nariz com uma máscara.
When you put the quando clause first, you normally add a comma after it. The meaning stays the same; the second version slightly foregrounds the condition/time (“whenever she gets on a crowded bus…”).
Portuguese is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending shows who the subject is.
- Tapa o nariz normally means ele/ela tapa o nariz.
- Here we explicitly say A Ana, so the subject is already clear.
You can say:
- Ela tapa o nariz com uma máscara… – also correct, just using a pronoun instead of the name.
You normally wouldn’t say A Ana, ela tapa o nariz… unless you want to strongly emphasise “she” or contrast her with someone else:
- A Ana tapa o nariz, mas o Pedro não tapa.
A very natural Brazilian Portuguese version could be:
- Ana cobre o nariz com uma máscara quando entra no ônibus lotado.
Main differences:
- autocarro (Portugal) → ônibus (Brazil).
- cheio can be used, but lotado (packed / very full) is extremely common for crowded transport.
- The article before the name (A Ana) is much less common in Brazilian Portuguese; you’d normally just say Ana.
The grammar points about o nariz, com uma máscara, and quando entra remain the same.