Breakdown of A portagem até ao Porto custa doze euros.
doze
twelve
o euro
the euro
custar
to cost
a portagem
the toll
Questions & Answers about A portagem até ao Porto custa doze euros.
Why use até ao instead of just para o or ao here?
The preposition até emphasizes the limit or endpoint of the journey ("as far as Porto"). In European Portuguese, when até implies a spatial destination, it is almost always followed by the preposition a. This a then contracts with the definite article o to form ao.
Is there a reliable way to remember the gender of portagem?
I noticed Porto takes the definite article (ao = a + o). Do all Portuguese cities require articles?
No, most Portuguese cities and towns (like Lisboa, Faro, or Sintra) do not take a definite article. O Porto is a major exception. Because it requires the masculine article, any prepositions before it will contract, resulting in forms like do Porto, no Porto, and ao Porto.
Can the verb custar be used for things other than money?
Absolutely. Beyond financial cost, custar is frequently used in Portuguese to express physical or emotional difficulty, similar to saying something "is hard" or "takes effort." For instance, Custa-me muito acordar cedo means "It is really hard for me to wake up early."
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