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O pai tem de cozinhar a carne amanhã.

O pai tem de cozinhar a carne amanhã.
Dad has to cook the meat tomorrow.
From Lesson 48:Expressing obligation (ter de)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O pai tem de cozinhar a carne amanhã.

Why is it "O pai" instead of just "Pai"?
In Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article (o or a) before family members or names when talking about them. So, instead of just saying "Dad", we say "The dad" (O pai).
Why do we need the word "de" in "tem de cozinhar"?
The phrase ter de followed by an infinitive verb (like cozinhar) is how you express obligation in Portuguese, meaning "to have to" do something. Without de, the verb ter just means "to have" as in owning a physical object.
Why is the verb "cozinhar" not conjugated?
When you use ter de to say someone has to do something, the action verb stays in its dictionary form (the infinitive). Here, tem is already conjugated to match o pai, so cozinhar stays exactly as it is.
Can I use the present tense "tem de" to talk about tomorrow?
Yes! Just like in English, you can use the present tense of ter de along with a future time word like amanhã. You do not need to change the verb into a special future tense to say what someone has to do tomorrow.

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