Breakdown of Eu levo-te ao hospital hoje.
eu
I
hoje
today
o hospital
the hospital
ao
to the / at the (m.sg; f.sg à, m.pl aos, f.pl às)
te
you (informal object)
levar
to take (somewhere)
Questions & Answers about Eu levo-te ao hospital hoje.
Why is there a hyphen in levo-te?
In European Portuguese, object pronouns like te (you) are normally attached to the end of the verb with a hyphen in simple positive sentences. So, levo (I take) plus the direct object pronoun te becomes levo-te.
What exactly does te mean in this sentence?
It is the informal singular direct object pronoun for "you". The verb levar (to take) needs a direct object to show who is being taken.
Why is it ao hospital instead of just a hospital?
Ao is a required combination of the preposition a (to) and the masculine word for "the", which is o. In Portuguese, we usually include "the" before places like hospital, so it literally translates to "to the hospital".
Is the 'h' in hospital pronounced like in English?
No, the letter 'h' at the beginning of words is completely silent in Portuguese. You pronounce hospital starting right with the 'o' sound.
Is it okay if I leave out Eu and just say Levo-te?
Yes, absolutely! The verb form levo already tells us that the subject is "I". In Portuguese, it is very common to drop the subject pronoun.
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