Breakdown of Tenho um cão e um gato: este dorme dentro de casa, aquele no jardim.
a casa
the house
o gato
the cat
o cão
the dog
o jardim
the garden
este
this (este, esta, estes, estas)
aquele
that over there (aquele, aquela, aqueles, aquelas)
dormir
to sleep
Questions & Answers about Tenho um cão e um gato: este dorme dentro de casa, aquele no jardim.
Why does este translate to "the latter" and aquele to "the former"?
Portuguese refers to these items based on their physical position in the text. este means "this one" (the noun closest to the pronoun, which is the last one mentioned: um gato). aquele means "that one over there" (the noun further back in the text: um cão). This is why the order feels reversed compared to the English "the former... the latter" structure!
Why is it dentro de casa without the definite article a?
Dropping the definite article before casa gives it the general meaning of "home" or "indoors." If you said dentro da casa, it would sound like you are referring to a specific physical building, much like saying "inside the house" instead of "indoors."
Is it grammatically correct to just say aquele no jardim without a verb?
Yes! Just like in English, Portuguese allows you to omit the verb in the second half of a sentence if it is the exact same verb used in the first half. The verb dorme is understood from context, which saves you from repeating it.
Learn Tenho um cão e um gato: este dorme dentro de casa, aquele no jardim and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free