A médica não ouve nada, o silêncio é lindo.

Questions & Answers about A médica não ouve nada, o silêncio é lindo.

Why are there two negative words (não and nada) in this sentence?
In Portuguese, double negatives are perfectly normal and often required! When a negative word like nada (nothing/anything) comes after the verb, you must put não before the verb. Literally it translates to "not hears nothing", but in English we say "doesn't hear anything."
Is médica always a female doctor?
Yes! Professions in Portuguese usually change their ending to match the gender of the person. A female doctor is a médica and a male doctor is o médico.
What verb does ouve come from?
It is the "he/she/it" form of the verb ouvir, which means "to hear". So a médica não ouve means "the doctor doesn't hear".
Why is it é lindo and not está lindo? Isn't the silence temporary?
Even though this specific silence might end, describing something as beautiful (lindo) is treated as an inherent quality of that thing in Portuguese. For characteristics and opinions like this, we use the verb ser (to be), which gives us é.

Learn A médica não ouve nada, o silêncio é lindo 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