Log inSign up

Ele tem uma mota.

Ele tem uma mota.
He has a motorbike.
From Lesson 43:Getting around (o motorista, a paragem de autocarro)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Ele tem uma mota.

Is tem a regular verb?
No, tem comes from the irregular verb ter (to have). For "he", "she", or "you" (formal), the present tense form is tem. It is one of the most common verbs you will use in Portuguese.
I have seen the word for motorcycle translated as moto before. Why is it mota here?
In European Portuguese, mota is the standard, everyday word for a motorbike. You will often see moto in Brazilian Portuguese or in more formal contexts, but people in Portugal almost always say mota.
Why do we use uma instead of um?
In Portuguese, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. Mota is a feminine noun, which we can often guess because it ends in "-a". Therefore, we must use the feminine word for "a", which is uma. If he had a car (a masculine noun), it would be um carro.
How do I pronounce the word tem?
The "-em" ending in Portuguese creates a nasal sound. It does not sound like the English word "them". Instead, it sounds a bit like the English word "tame" but spoken through your nose, without letting your lips close to make an "m" sound at the end.

Learn Ele tem uma mota and more in Portuguese

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Portuguese →