Breakdown of Eles andam a comprar-lhe roupas largas de ganga.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
eles
they (m)
comprar
to buy
lhe
to him / to her / to you (formal)
a roupa
the clothes
andar
to walk
a ganga
the denim
largo
baggy
Questions & Answers about Eles andam a comprar-lhe roupas largas de ganga.
Why is the pronoun -lhe attached to comprar?
In a continuous verbal complex like andar a + infinitive, the pronoun -lhe typically attaches directly to the main verb (comprar) with a hyphen. You might sometimes see it attached to the auxiliary verb (andam-lhe a comprar), but putting it on the infinitive is standard and very common in Portugal.
Why use andam a comprar instead of estão a comprar to mean 'have been buying'?
While estar a + infinitive means an action is happening at this exact moment ('are buying'), andar a + infinitive describes an ongoing or frequently repeated action over a recent period. It perfectly captures the English idea of 'have been buying' or 'have been doing' lately.
Could -lhe also mean 'her' in this sentence?
Yes! The indirect object pronoun -lhe means 'to him', 'to her', or even 'to you' (formal). Without more context, 'him' is used in the default translation, but 'They have been buying her baggy denim clothes' is just as grammatically correct.
Is largas just the Portuguese word for 'large'?
Careful, this is a false friend! Largo means 'wide', 'broad', or in the context of clothing, 'baggy' or 'loose'. If you just wanted to say the clothes were simply 'big' in overall size, you would use grandes.
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