Questions & Answers about Já agora, compra pão.
Why does já agora mean 'while you're at it' when it literally translates to 'already now'?
Já agora is a very common Portuguese idiom. It is used when a new thought or request is triggered by the current situation, similar to saying 'by the way' or 'since you are at it' in English. Here, the speaker is taking advantage of the fact that the other person is already going to the store or doing a related task.
Why is the verb form compra instead of compre?
Compra is the informal tu command (imperative) form of comprar. If you were speaking formally to someone using você, you would use compre. A helpful rule to remember is that the informal tu command for regular verbs looks exactly like the present tense ele/ela form.
Why is there no article before pão?
In Portuguese, just like in English, we often leave out the definite article (o or a) when talking about an unspecified quantity of something. Saying compra pão simply means 'buy bread' or 'buy some bread'. If you said compra o pão, it would mean 'buy the bread', referring to a specific loaf you both already know about.
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