Question 1

I recognize colher as the word for "spoon". Is it the exact same word here?

Accepted Answer

They are spelled exactly the same, but here colher is a verb meaning "to pick", "to gather", or "to harvest". The noun a colher means "the spoon". You can tell them apart by context, and also by pronunciation: the verb usually has a closed 'o' sound, while the noun has an open 'o'.

Question 2

Why is the second verb colher in the infinitive, rather than the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

We leave colher in the infinitive because the person wanting and the person picking are the same ("Do you want to pick?"). If the subjects were different, such as "Do you want me to pick the tomatoes?", you would need to use que followed by the subjunctive: Queres que eu colha os tomates?.

Question 3

Why do we use para a instead of pela here?

Accepted Answer

We use para because it indicates the purpose or destination of the action—the tomatoes are meant for the salad. You would use por (which combines with a to make pela) to talk about a route, a method, or a cause, none of which fit this context.

Question 4

How would I use a partitive expression to ask about picking "most of the ripe tomatoes"?

Accepted Answer

You would use an expression like a maioria de or grande parte de. Because you are referring to specific tomatoes, the preposition de combines with the plural article os to make dos. The sentence would become: Queres colher a maioria dos tomates maduros para a salada?

Queres colher os tomates maduros para a salada?

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