Breakdown of Vocês vão para o país dele nas férias?
vocês
you (pl)
nas
in the / on the / at the (f.pl)
dele
his (forms: dela, deles, delas)
ir
to go
para
to / for
o país
the country
as férias
the holidays
Questions & Answers about Vocês vão para o país dele nas férias?
Why do we use para o instead of ao (to the) in this sentence?
In Portuguese, both a and para can mean "to", but they imply different travel times. We use a for short, temporary visits (like going to the store). We use para when traveling to a destination for a longer time, like moving somewhere or going on a holiday. Since a vacation implies a longer stay, para o is the most natural choice here.
Why is "his country" translated as o país dele? Can I use o seu país?
You could use o seu país, but it can be confusing! The word seu can mean "his", "hers", "yours" (formal), or "theirs". To avoid this mix-up, Portuguese speakers usually use dele (a combination of de + ele, meaning "of him") right after the noun. So, o país dele literally means "the country of him", leaving no doubt about whose country it is.
Why does "for the holidays" translate to nas férias?
In English, we say "for the holidays" or "on vacation", but Portuguese uses the preposition em (in/on/at) for this idea. Because férias is a feminine plural word, em combines with the word as (the) to form the contraction nas.
Is the word férias always plural?
Yes! Whenever you are talking about a vacation or time off from work or school, the word férias is always used in the plural form. That is why it takes the plural contraction nas.
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