Breakdown of O professor está a escrever a história.
o professor
the teacher (m)
estar
to be (temporary / location)
escrever
to write
a história
the story
Questions & Answers about O professor está a escrever a história.
How do I know when to use está a escrever instead of just escreve?
Use está a escrever (is writing) to show that the action is happening right now, at this exact moment. Using just escreve usually means 'writes' in a general sense or as a regular habit.
Why is there an a before escrever?
In European Portuguese, to say you are currently doing something, you use a form of the verb estar (to be) + a + the action verb in its original, unchanged form. Together, está a escrever creates the meaning 'is writing'.
The word a appears twice in this sentence. Do they mean the same thing?
No, they serve completely different purposes! The first a is a connecting word (preposition) used to build the 'is writing' action. The second a right before história is the feminine word for 'the'.
Could I use é instead of está since they both mean 'is'?
Does história mean 'story' or 'history'?
It means both! In Portuguese, história is used for a fictional tale (a story) as well as actual past events (history). You will always know which one is meant based on the context of the conversation.
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