Question 1

Why does this sentence use têm ("they have") instead of a verb for "they are"?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, you use the verb ter (to have) to talk about age. Literally, this sentence translates to "They have seventeen years, but they have eighteen years." This is one of the most common uses of ter that differs from English!

Question 2

Why does the verb têm have an accent mark (circumflex) on the 'e'?

Accepted Answer

The accent tells you it is the plural form. Tem (without the accent) is for he, she, or it, while têm (with the accent) is for the plural "they" (eles or elas). In Portugal, têm is also pronounced slightly differently than tem, with a longer, more nasal sound.

Question 3

Why are there two different words for "they" (elas and eles) in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Portuguese pronouns have gender. Elas means "they" for a group of only females, while eles means "they" for a group of males, or a mixed group of males and females. The sentence is comparing the ages of an all-female group to a male or mixed group.

Question 4

In English, the translation just says "they are eighteen" without repeating "years old". Can I drop the second anos in Portuguese?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can! Just like in English, it is perfectly natural in Portuguese to drop the word anos at the end when the context is clear. You could easily say, "Elas têm dezassete anos, mas eles têm dezoito."

Elas têm dezassete anos, mas eles têm dezoito anos.

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