Breakdown of O caloiro conheceu o veterano no campus.
em
in / on / at
conhecer
to meet / to get to know / discover
o
him/it (m)
o caloiro
the freshman
Questions & Answers about O caloiro conheceu o veterano no campus.
Why does conheceu translate to "met" instead of "knew"?
Conhecer usually means "to know" (as in being acquainted with someone). However, because it describes a continuous state of being, putting it in the completed past tense (Pretérito Perfeito Simples) shifts its meaning to the specific moment that state began. So, "started to know" translates naturally to "met". If you wanted to say "knew" as an ongoing state in the past, you would use the Imperfeito: conhecia.
Are caloiro and veterano standard everyday words for students?
They are highly specific to Portuguese university culture! A caloiro is a first-year student or freshman. A veterano is a senior student, not a military veteran in this context. You will hear these terms constantly in Portugal, especially during the traditional university initiation rituals called praxe. Note that in European Portuguese, it is spelled caloiro, while you might see calouro in Brazilian materials.
Why is the preposition no used before campus?
Campus is a Latin loanword that Portuguese adopted as a masculine noun. Because it refers to a specific place here, it takes the masculine definite article o. When you combine the preposition em (in, on, at) with the article o, they contract into no.
How is the word campus pronounced in European Portuguese?