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Os alunos têm moldado peças artesanais.

Os alunos têm moldado peças artesanais.
The students have been molding handmade pieces.
From Lesson 297:The present perfect (Pretérito Perfeito Composto)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Os alunos têm moldado peças artesanais.

o aluno
the student (m)
ter
to have
a peça
the part
moldar
to mold
artesanal
handmade

Questions & Answers about Os alunos têm moldado peças artesanais.

Why does têm moldado translate to "have been molding" instead of "have molded"?
In Portuguese, the Pretérito Perfeito Composto (built with the present tense of ter plus the past participle) is used specifically for actions that started in the past and are repeatedly or continuously happening right up to the present. Because of this ongoing or repetitive nature, it usually translates to the English "have been doing" rather than "have done".
Why does the adjective artesanais end in -is?
The singular form of this adjective is artesanal (meaning artisanal or handmade). In Portuguese, words ending in -al form their plural by dropping the -l and adding -is. Since peças is plural, the adjective must agree and become artesanais.
Does the past participle moldado need to change to match the feminine plural noun peças?
No, it doesn't. When you build this compound tense using the helper verb ter, the past participle never changes. It stays in the default masculine singular form (moldado) no matter the gender or number of the subject (os alunos) or the object (peças).
Can the word peças be used for things other than crafts?
Yes, peças is highly versatile. Here it means crafted objects, but it is also the standard word for theater plays (peças de teatro), items of clothing (peças de roupa), and mechanical parts (peças de carro).

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