Questions & Answers about Eu tenho uma t-shirt nova.
Why is the English word t-shirt used in a Portuguese sentence?
European Portuguese often borrows English words, especially for modern clothing. The word t-shirt is the standard, everyday way to refer to this piece of clothing in Portugal.
How do we know to use feminine words like uma and nova with an English word?
When Portuguese borrows words from other languages, they get assigned a grammatical gender. t-shirt is treated as a feminine noun, likely because the native Portuguese word for shirt (camisa) is feminine. That is why we must use the feminine word for a (uma) and the feminine form of new (nova).
Why does nova come after t-shirt instead of before it?
In Portuguese, adjectives (words that describe things) usually come right after the thing they are describing. Instead of putting new before the clothing, the sentence literally says t-shirt new (t-shirt nova).
How would I use the demonstrative words from this lesson to say I have THIS new t-shirt?
To say this instead of a, you replace uma with a demonstrative determiner. Because t-shirt is feminine and belongs to the speaker (meaning it is physically close), you use the feminine form esta. The sentence becomes Eu tenho esta t-shirt nova.
Do I always have to use Eu before tenho?