Log inSign up

Eles precisam de ajuda no hospital.

Eles precisam de ajuda no hospital.
They (m) need help at the hospital.
From Lesson 44:The verb to need (precisar de)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Eles precisam de ajuda no hospital.

Why is there a de after precisam? The English translation doesn't say "need of help".
In Portuguese, when you use the verb precisar (to need) followed by a noun like ajuda (help), you must connect them with the preposition de. You can think of it as saying "they have need of help".
Is ajuda a noun or a verb in this sentence?
Here, ajuda is a noun meaning "help" or "assistance". You can tell because it comes after precisam de. While ajuda can also be the "he/she/it" form of the verb ajudar (to help), we only ever put nouns, pronouns, or unconjugated dictionary-form verbs directly after precisar de.
Why does the sentence use no for "at the"?
no is a contraction. It combines the preposition em (in/on/at) and the masculine word for "the" (o) into a single word. Because hospital is a masculine noun, we use no to say "at the hospital".
Do I have to include Eles at the start of the sentence?
No, you can simply say Precisam de ajuda no hospital. Because the verb ending -am is only used for "they" (eles or elas) or "you all" (vocês), Portuguese speakers often drop the subject word completely when it is clear from the context.

Learn Eles precisam de ajuda no hospital 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
Start learning Portuguese →