Elas podem tirar uma fotografia aqui?

Questions & Answers about Elas podem tirar uma fotografia aqui?

Why don't the words change order to make a question, like 'Can they' in English?
In Portuguese, you don't need to swap the subject and verb to ask a question. The sentence order for 'They can take' (Elas podem tirar) is exactly the same as 'Can they take?'. You just change your tone of voice when speaking, or add a question mark in writing.
Why is tirar in its full dictionary form (the infinitive) instead of matching elas?
When you use a modal verb like poder (can/may), only that first verb gets changed to match the subject. Here, podem matches elas. The second verb, tirar, stays in its basic infinitive form, just like we say 'take' instead of 'takes' after 'can' in English.
Doesn't the verb tirar usually mean 'to remove' or 'to take out'?
Yes, but it is also the standard verb to use when talking about taking pictures. In European Portuguese, you always say tirar uma fotografia (or just tirar uma foto). Other verbs for 'to take', like levar (to carry something away) or tomar (to take a bus or medicine), do not work for photographs.
Since the verb is podem, do I actually need to say elas?
You can drop elas if it is already clear from the conversation. However, because podem can mean either 'they can' or 'you can' (when talking to a group), including elas prevents any confusion about who you are asking about.

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