Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O senhor é de Londres?

O senhor é de Londres?

Are you from London, sir?

Breakdown of O senhor é de Londres?

ser

to be

o senhor

the gentleman / you (formal, m)

of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)

Londres

London

Questions & Answers about O senhor é de Londres?

Why doesn't the word order change to make this a question, like in English ("Are you...")?

In Portuguese, yes/no questions keep the exact same subject-verb-object order as a regular statement. To make "You are from London" (O senhor é de Londres) into a question, you simply raise the pitch of your voice at the end when speaking, or add a question mark when writing.

Why use O senhor to mean "you" here instead of tu?

O senhor (literally "the sir" or "the gentleman") is used as a formal, polite way to say "you" when speaking to a man you don't know well, an elder, or a customer. If you were talking to a friend, you would use the informal tu and ask, Tu és de Londres?

If O senhor means "you", why does it use the verb é instead of an "are" form?

Even though o senhor translates to "you" in this context, grammatically it acts like a third-person noun (like "the gentleman"). Therefore, it must use the "he/she/it" form of the verb, which is é (is).

Does the word de mean "from" or "of"?

It means both! In Portuguese, the preposition de is used to show origin (where someone is from), as well as possession (belonging to) or material (made of). When stating your hometown or country, you will almost always pair the verb ser (to be) with de.