Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Ora bem, a patrulha serve para alertar a polícia. - Well then, the patrol serves to alert the police.

Ora bem is a common discourse marker used to transition to a new point, gather your thoughts, or draw a conclusion, much like 'well then,' 'now then,' or 'right' in English. While bem can also mean 'well' to start a sentence, adding ora gives it a stronger conversational push, signaling that you are about to lay out a premise or summarize a situation.

Could we just say Ora, a patrulha serve... without bem?

Yes, but it changes the tone slightly. On its own, ora often introduces mild opposition, an objection, or a strong logical premise (like 'But wait,' or 'Now, consider this'). Saying ora bem softens the transition into a more neutral, summarizing phrase, perfectly matching the explanatory tone of 'Well then, the patrol serves...'.

Why do we need the preposition para in serve para alertar?

The verb servir (to serve) requires the preposition para when expressing the purpose, function, or usefulness of something. When followed by an infinitive verb like alertar, servir para translates smoothly to 'serves to' or 'is used for [doing something]'.

If we added a verb right after a polícia, would it be singular or plural?