Question 1

Why do we use está instead of é in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Está comes from the verb estar, which we use to talk about locations and temporary states. Since the mother is currently at work (a location she will leave later), we use estar. We only use é (from the verb ser) for permanent facts or characteristics.

Question 2

Which person is the verb está conjugated for?

Accepted Answer

It is the "he/she/it" form (third-person singular). Because the subject of the sentence is a mãe (the mother), which is a "she", we use está.

Question 3

Where does the word no come from?

Accepted Answer

No means "at the" or "in the". In Portuguese, the preposition em (in/at/on) combines with the word for "the" that follows it. Since trabalho is a masculine word, we need the masculine "the" (o). When you combine em + o, they shrink down into the word no.

Question 4

How do you form a question like this in Portuguese? The words are in the exact same order as a regular sentence.

Accepted Answer

That's exactly how it works in Portuguese! You don't need to change the word order or add a word like "does" or "is" at the very beginning. To change the statement A mãe está no trabalho (The mother is at work) into a question, you just add a question mark and make your voice go up at the end when speaking.

Question 5

I remember seeing trabalho used as "I work". How can I tell if it means "work" as a noun or a verb?

Accepted Answer

Trabalho can indeed be the "I" form of the verb trabalhar (to work). However, in this sentence, the word no (at the / in the) comes right before it. A verb won't have "the" in front of it, so that is your clue that trabalho is acting as a noun (a place of work) here.

A mãe está no trabalho?

Breakdown of A mãe está no trabalho?

Questions & Answers about A mãe está no trabalho?

Learn A mãe está no trabalho and more in Portuguese