Question 1

Why does the sentence use lhe mordeu o tornozelo instead of mordeu o seu tornozelo?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, when an action affects someone's body parts, clothing, or personal items, we usually avoid possessive words like seu. Instead, we use an indirect object pronoun (here, lhe) to show who is affected, alongside a definite article (o) before the noun (tornozelo). Literally, the structure translates to "the cat bit the ankle to him".

Question 2

Why is lhe placed before the verb mordeu? Shouldn't it be mordeu-lhe?

Accepted Answer

Pronouns usually attach to the end of the verb in European Portuguese, but certain words pull them to the front. Here, the sentence starts with the conjunction Como, which creates a subordinate clause. Words that introduce subordinate clauses act as magnets, forcing the pronoun to come before the verb.

Question 3

Doesn't como usually mean "how" or "like"? Why is it translated as "since" here?

Accepted Answer

When como is used at the very beginning of a sentence to introduce a cause or reason, it translates to "since" or "because". In Portuguese, you cannot use porque at the start of a sentence to establish a reason like this; you must use como or a phrase like visto que.

Question 4

Why does the sentence use teve de ir instead of teve que ir?

Accepted Answer

Both ter de and ter que mean "to have to" and are widely used to express obligation. However, ter de is traditionally considered the strictly correct grammatical form in European Portuguese for expressing duty. You will still hear native speakers say teve que ir in everyday speech, but teve de ir is the standard you should aim for in formal writing.

Como o gato lhe mordeu o tornozelo, ele teve de ir ao hospital.

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