Questions & Answers about De onde é o pai?
Why is De at the beginning of the sentence when English puts "from" at the end?
In English, we often end a sentence with a preposition ("Where is the father from?"). In Portuguese, prepositions like de (from/of) must come before the question word they belong to. So, you literally ask, "From where is the father?" (De onde é o pai?).
The current lesson is about contractions like do and da. Why doesn't de combine with onde?
Why do we use é here instead of está?
É is a form of the verb ser, which is used for permanent facts. A person's place of origin doesn't change, so we use ser. If you wanted to ask where the father is located right now, you would use the temporary verb estar instead: Onde está o pai? (Notice we also drop the de, because we are no longer asking where he is from).
Could o pai just mean "Dad" in this context?
Yes! While it literally translates to "the father", Portuguese speakers frequently use o pai and a mãe in everyday conversation where English speakers would simply say "Dad" or "Mom".
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