Word
Aquela rapariga não diz o segredo a ninguém.
Meaning
That girl doesn't tell anyone the secret.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Aquela rapariga não diz o segredo a ninguém.
a rapariga
the girl
não
not / no
a
to / at (direction)
aquele
that over there (aquele, aquela, aqueles, aquelas)
Questions & Answers about Aquela rapariga não diz o segredo a ninguém.
Why are there two negative words (não and ninguém) in this sentence?
Why is there an 'a' before ninguém?
The verb dizer (to say/tell) is usually followed by the preposition a (to) when you are telling something to a person. Since ninguém is the person (or lack of person!) receiving the secret, it needs that a right in front of it: a ninguém (to nobody).
Does the verb dizer mean "to say" or "to tell"?
It means both! In Portuguese, we don't use two different verbs for "say" and "tell." Because she is sharing a secret with someone, "tell" is simply the most natural way to translate it into English here.
I learned that essa also means "that." Why use aquela here?
Portuguese has two words for "that" depending on distance. You use essa when the person or thing is close to the person you are talking to. You use aquela when the person or thing is far away from both of you. So, aquela rapariga means the girl is over there in the distance, or not in the room at all.