Breakdown of Tenho pena do gato doente.
o gato
the cat
doente
sick
ter pena de
to feel sorry (for), to regret
Questions & Answers about Tenho pena do gato doente.
Why does the Portuguese sentence use Tenho pena instead of a verb like "to feel"?
The English translation says "for the sick cat", but the Portuguese uses do (de + o). Why not use por or para?
The expression ter pena always pairs with the preposition de (to have pity of someone or something). Because English uses "sorry for", native English speakers often mistakenly try to use pelo or para o. Here, de combines with the masculine definite article o to make do.
I've seen the word pena used to mean "feather". Is it the same word here?
Yes, it's exactly the same word! Pena has a few different meanings depending on the context. It can mean "feather", "punishment" (like a prison sentence), or, as in this sentence, "pity" or "sorrow". You will also hear it in the common phrase Que pena! (What a pity! / That's too bad!).
If it were a female cat, would doente change to "doenta"?
No, doente stays exactly the same. Adjectives that end in -e are generally invariable in gender, meaning they do not change whether the noun is masculine or feminine. You would say o gato doente (the sick male cat) and a gata doente (the sick female cat). It only changes for the plural, becoming doentes.
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