Breakdown of Aos domingos, nós conseguíamos ver o ninho da cegonha com os binóculos.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
nós
we
com
with
o domingo
the Sunday
aos
to the (m.pl) / on (with plural weekdays: every Sunday)
ver
to see
conseguir
to manage / to get / obtain
os binóculos
the binoculars
o ninho
the nest
a cegonha
the stork
Questions & Answers about Aos domingos, nós conseguíamos ver o ninho da cegonha com os binóculos.
Why does the sentence use Aos domingos instead of Nos domingos?
To express a recurring frequency on a certain day of the week, European Portuguese uses the preposition a plus the definite article. Since domingo is masculine, a combines with os to form aos. If you were talking about an event happening on one specific Sunday, you would generally use no domingo.
Why is the verb conseguíamos in the imperfect tense rather than the simple past (conseguimos)?
The phrase Aos domingos shows that this was a repeated, habitual action in the past. The imperfect tense is used for ongoing or repeated past habits, whereas the simple past is for single, completed events.
Could I use podíamos instead of conseguíamos here?
You could, but they have slightly different meanings. Conseguir focuses on the physical ability, effort, or managing to achieve something (like successfully spotting a distant nest). Poder is more commonly used to express permission or general possibility.
Why does the sentence say da cegonha instead of just de cegonha?
In Portuguese, you almost always include the definite article when talking about a specific animal or object. Da is the mandatory contraction of de (of) and a (the feminine article). So o ninho da cegonha literally means the nest of the stork.
Learn Aos domingos, nós conseguíamos ver o ninho da cegonha com os binóculos 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