Tu não bebes o leite?

Breakdown of Tu não bebes o leite?

tu
you
não
not / no
beber
to drink
o leite
the milk

Questions & Answers about Tu não bebes o leite?

How do we get the verb form bebes?
Bebes comes from the regular verb beber (to drink). To match the subject tu (you, informal), you drop the -er ending and add -es. This is the standard rule for regular -er verbs in the present tense.
Why does não come right after tu? In English we say 'Don't you...'
In Portuguese, making a sentence negative is very straightforward: you simply place não directly in front of the verb. You do not change the word order or flip words around for a negative question like we do in English.
How do you make this a question without a word like 'do' or 'does'?
Portuguese does not use helper words to ask questions. You just take the normal statement, keep the exact same word order, and say it with a rising tone of voice (or add a question mark in writing).
Do I have to include the pronoun tu?
No, it is optional. Because the verb ending -es in bebes is only ever used with tu, the listener already knows exactly who you are talking about. You could simply ask: Não bebes o leite?
The word leite ends in 'e'. How do I know to use the masculine article o?
Nouns ending in 'e' can be either masculine or feminine in Portuguese, so you just have to memorize the gender when you learn the word. Leite happens to be a masculine noun, which is why it uses o (the) instead of a.

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