Question 1

Is moemos in the present or past tense here?

Accepted Answer

It is in the present tense, translating to "we grind". However, for regular -er verbs like moer, the present (nós moemos) and the simple past (nós moemos) forms are completely identical in Portuguese. We know it is present tense here because of the habitual time marker todos os dias (every day).

Question 2

The verb is moer. Why doesn't moemos have an accent mark when some other forms do?

Accepted Answer

The verb moer drops and adds accents depending on the conjugation. While nós moemos has no written accent, the third-person singular present is ele mói and the second-person singular is tu móis. The accent is added to those forms to maintain the correct pronunciation of the open "o" sound when the spoken stress falls on that specific vowel.

Question 3

Why does the sentence use todos os dias instead of todo o dia?

Accepted Answer

Todos os dias means "every day" (literally "all the days"), which perfectly fits the habitual, repeated action of grinding coffee. If you said todo o dia, it would mean "all day long" or "the entire day", which would mean you spend your entire waking day grinding beans!

Question 4

Could we use esse instead of este here?

Accepted Answer

It would change the meaning slightly. Este means "this", implying the coffee is physically close to the speaker right now (perhaps they are holding the bag of beans). If you used esse, it would mean "that" coffee, implying it is physically closer to the listener or was just previously mentioned in your conversation.

Moemos este café vulcânico todos os dias.

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