Breakdown of O apelido do aluno também é Costa.
ser
to be
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
o aluno
the student (m)
o apelido
the surname
também
also / too
Questions & Answers about O apelido do aluno também é Costa.
Does apelido mean "nickname"?
No, in European Portuguese, apelido means "surname" or "last name" (like Costa, Silva, etc.). This is a common false friend! If you want to say "nickname", the word is alcunha.
Why is it do aluno instead of just de aluno?
do is a contraction of the preposition de (of) and the masculine definite article o (the). Because Portuguese doesn't use an apostrophe-'s' for possession, "the student's surname" is phrased as "the surname of the student" (o apelido do aluno).
This lesson is about chamar-se. How would we say "The student is called Costa" using that verb instead of the verb ser (to be)?
Could I put também at the very end of the sentence like we do in English with "too"?
It is much more common to place também (also/too) right before the verb it modifies (também é), or sometimes right after it. Putting it at the very end of the sentence sounds much less natural in Portuguese.
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