Breakdown of O meu vizinho, que é médico, ajudou-nos.
o médico
the doctor (m)
ajudar
to help
o vizinho
the neighbor (m)
que
who / which / that (relative)
Questions & Answers about O meu vizinho, que é médico, ajudou-nos.
Why does it say é médico and not é um médico?
In Portuguese, you do not use the indefinite article (um or uma) when stating someone's profession, religion, or nationality right after the verb ser (to be). You would only add um if you were describing the doctor further, like é um médico excelente (is an excellent doctor).
Why is the pronoun attached to the end of the verb in ajudou-nos?
In European Portuguese, object pronouns like nos (us) naturally attach to the end of the verb with a hyphen. They only jump in front of the verb if there is a trigger word nearby, such as a negative word (não), certain adverbs, or a question word. Since the main clause here is a simple positive statement, the pronoun stays at the end.
Could I use quem instead of que for 'who' in this sentence?
No, you must use que. Although quem means 'who' in questions, que is the standard word used to connect clauses for both people and things (meaning 'who', 'which', or 'that'). You generally only use quem to connect clauses when it comes right after a preposition, such as com quem (with whom).
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