Breakdown of A minha irmã trabalha naquele supermercado.
a irmã
the sister
trabalhar
to work
o supermercado
the supermarket
meu
my (m/f/pl: meu, minha, meus, minhas)
naquele
in that over there (m/sg), naquela (f/sg), naqueles (m/pl), naquelas (f/pl)
Questions & Answers about A minha irmã trabalha naquele supermercado.
How do we get the word naquele from "in that"?
naquele is a contraction of the preposition em (meaning "in", "on", or "at") and the demonstrative aquele (meaning "that one over there"). In Portuguese, you must combine these into one word rather than saying them separately.
Why does this sentence use naquele instead of nesse for "that"?
The word aquele (and its contraction naquele) is specifically used for things that are far away from both the speaker and the listener, which is why it translates to "that supermarket over there". If the supermarket was physically closer to the person you are talking to, you would use nesse, which is the contraction of em and esse.
Why is there an A before minha irmã? Doesn't that literally translate to "The my sister"?
Yes, it does! In European Portuguese, it is the standard rule to put a definite article (o or a) before a possessive word like minha (my). Because irmã (sister) is a feminine noun, we use the feminine article a before the possessive.
Would naquele change if she worked at a feminine location, like a pharmacy?
Yes, demonstratives must match the gender of the noun they point to. Because supermercado is masculine, we use the masculine form naquele. If she worked at a pharmacy (farmácia, which is feminine), you would change the ending to match: naquela farmácia.
Learn A minha irmã trabalha naquele supermercado and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free