Breakdown of Ele é o examinador para a graduação? Sim, ele é-o.
ser
to be
ele
he
sim
yes
para
to / for
o
him/it (m)
o examinador
the examiner
a graduação
the grading
Questions & Answers about Ele é o examinador para a graduação? Sim, ele é-o.
Why is there an -o at the end of ele é-o?
In English, we can end a sentence with a dangling verb like "Yes, he is." In formal Portuguese, you generally cannot leave the verb ser hanging. You must use a pronoun to replace the missing information. The clitic -o here is a neuter pronoun that stands in for the entire predicate from the question: o examinador para a graduação.
If the examiner were female (a examinadora), would the answer be ela é-a?
Why is the pronoun attached to the end (é-o) rather than placed before the verb (o é)?
Is it common to say Sim, ele é-o in everyday casual conversation?
While it is the grammatically correct way to avoid repeating the predicate, native speakers often just say Sim, é or repeat the noun (Sim, é o examinador) in casual spoken Portuguese. However, you will frequently see and hear the neuter -o in writing, news, and careful speech, making it an essential B2 concept.
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