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A menina é a filha dele.

A menina é a filha dele.
The little girl is his daughter.
From Lesson 20:His, hers, and theirs (dele, dela)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about A menina é a filha dele.

Why do we put dele after filha?
In Portuguese, to say "his", we often use dele directly after the noun. The word dele literally means "of him" (it is a combination of the preposition de, meaning "of", and ele, meaning "he" or "him"). So, you are essentially saying "the daughter of him".
Why do we need the word a before filha?
Because dele comes after the noun and acts like "of him", the noun itself still needs its normal definite article ("the"). Since filha is a feminine noun, we use a. The literal translation is "the daughter of him".
If the sentence was about "his son", would dele change?
No, it wouldn't! The word dele only agrees with the owner (the "him" in this case). It stays exactly the same no matter who or what he owns. "His son" would be o filho dele. If the parent were a woman, you would change it to match her: a filha dela (her daughter).
Why does the sentence use é?
The word é means "is" and comes from the verb ser. We use ser to talk about permanent facts, identity, and family relationships. Since being someone's daughter is a permanent fact, we use ser rather than estar (the verb used for temporary states).

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