Question 1

Why do we use na before quinta-feira to say "on Thursday"?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, you use the preposition em (in/on) to say something happens on a certain day of the week. The days from Monday to Friday all end in -feira and are feminine words. Because it's feminine, em combines with the word for "the" (a) to become na.

Question 2

How do the numbers work for the days of the week? Why is Thursday quinta-feira?

Accepted Answer

The Portuguese workweek starts counting on Monday, which is the "second day" (segunda-feira). Following that pattern, Tuesday is the third (terça-feira), Wednesday is the fourth (quarta-feira), and Thursday is the fifth (quinta-feira).

Question 3

Why do we use está instead of é for the word "is"?

Accepted Answer

We use the verb estar (which becomes está for he/she/it) when talking about someone's physical location. Even though a doctor's schedule might be a fixed routine, you always use estar rather than ser to say where someone or something is.

Question 4

If the doctor was a woman, how would this sentence change?

Accepted Answer

You would change the masculine o médico to the feminine a médica. The rest of the sentence would stay exactly the same: Onde está a médica na quinta-feira?

Onde está o médico na quinta-feira?

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