Breakdown of Ontem foi que o pai comprou a tábua e o prego.
e
and
o pai
the father / the parents
comprar
to buy
ontem
yesterday
foi que
was that
a tábua
the board
o prego
the nail
Questions & Answers about Ontem foi que o pai comprou a tábua e o prego.
Why do we use foi que here instead of the usual é que?
The emphatic phrase usually agrees with the tense of the main verb in the sentence. Since the father bought (comprou) the items in the past, we use the past tense foi que rather than the present tense é que.
Why is foi que placed right after Ontem?
In Portuguese emphatic structures, the words é que or foi que are placed immediately after the specific piece of information you want to highlight. Because we want to emphasize exactly when he bought the materials, foi que goes right after Ontem.
Why is there an o before pai?
In Portuguese, definite articles are normally used before family members when talking about them in a sentence. Even if in English you might casually say Dad bought the board, European Portuguese generally requires the article, making it o pai.
Doesn't prego mean a type of sandwich?
It does! A prego is a very popular Portuguese beef sandwich. However, its original literal meaning is a metal nail. Since it is paired with a tábua (the board) in this sentence, it clearly refers to the hardware. The sandwich actually got its name because the garlic is pounded or nailed into the meat before cooking.
Learn Ontem foi que o pai comprou a tábua e o prego and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free