Questions & Answers about Mas o apelido não é Silva?
Does apelido mean nickname?
In Portugal, apelido translates to surname or last name. Your first name is your nome. Be careful if you use Brazilian resources: in Brazil, apelido does mean nickname, but in Portugal, a nickname is an alcunha.
Why aren't the words rearranged to make it a question?
In Portuguese, you don't need to change the word order to ask a yes/no question. You just take the normal statement — o apelido não é Silva (the surname isn't Silva) — and raise your pitch at the end when speaking, or add a question mark when writing.
The current lesson is about the verb chamar-se (to be called). Why is the verb ser (to be) used here instead?
You use chamar-se when talking about what a person is called, as in Ele chama-se Silva (He is called Silva). But here, the subject of the sentence isn't a person, it's the noun apelido (surname). When you simply state what a name is, you just use the verb ser (to be), making it o apelido é (the surname is).
Why is mas used at the beginning of the sentence?
Learn Mas o apelido não é Silva 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