Breakdown of O comboio leva-o ao centro.
ao
to the / at the (m.sg; f.sg à, m.pl aos, f.pl às)
o comboio
the train
o centro
the center
levar
to take (somewhere)
Questions & Answers about O comboio leva-o ao centro.
Why do we say leva-o instead of leva ele?
In English, we say "takes him". In Portuguese, the direct object pronoun for "him" is o (not the subject pronoun ele, which means "he"). We attach this pronoun directly to the verb.
Why is the pronoun -o attached to the end of the verb with a hyphen?
In European Portuguese, direct object pronouns usually attach to the end of the verb in simple, affirmative sentences. This is different from English, where the pronoun is a separate word. The hyphen shows they are structurally connected, giving us leva-o.
Could leva-o mean "takes it" instead of "takes him"?
What makes up the word ao?
ao is a mandatory contraction of the preposition a (to) and the masculine definite article o (the). Because centro (center) is a masculine noun, we combine a + o to make ao (to the).