Breakdown of Eles têm uma grande plantação naquele planalto.
eles
they (m)
ter
to have
um
a / an / some (all forms)
grande
big / large
em
in / on / at
aquele
that over there (aquele, aquela, aqueles, aquelas)
a plantação
the plantation
o planalto
the plateau
Questions & Answers about Eles têm uma grande plantação naquele planalto.
How does the pronunciation of têm differ from the singular tem?
In European Portuguese, the singular tem sounds like a single nasal vowel (sounding a bit like 'tãe'). The plural têm has a longer, double nasal sound (sounding like 'tãe-ãe'). The circumflex accent reminds you it is the plural form and requires that stretched, bouncing nasal pronunciation.
Why is grande placed before the noun here?
Adjectives usually follow the noun, but grande is a frequent exception. Placed before the noun, it emphasizes the impressive scale or grandeur of the plantation. If it were written as uma plantação grande, it would be a strictly objective observation about its physical dimensions.
Why use naquele instead of nesse to say 'on that'?
Naquele is the contraction of the preposition em and the demonstrative pronoun aquele. We use aquele for places or objects that are far away from both the speaker and the listener. If the plateau were located near the listener, you would use nesse (em + esse).
How does the word planalto break down?
It is a compound of two basic adjectives you likely already know: plano (flat) and alto (high). Together they form planalto, perfectly describing a high, flat area of land, which is a plateau.
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