Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Que país preferes?

Que país preferes?

Which country do you prefer?

Breakdown of Que país preferes?

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Questions & Answers about Que país preferes?

The English translation says 'Which country', so why does the Portuguese use Que instead of Qual?

In Portuguese, when 'which' or 'what' comes directly before a noun (like país), you use Que. You usually use Qual when it stands alone or with the verb to be, like in Qual é o teu país? (Which is your country?).

I don't see the word for 'you' in this sentence. How do we know who is being asked?

The verb ending gives it away. The verb preferes ends in -es, which is the specific ending for tu (the informal 'you'). Because the verb alone makes it clear who is doing the action, Portuguese speakers usually drop the pronoun tu.

Why does país have an accent mark on the letter i?

The accent mark tells you to put the spoken stress on the i, splitting the word into two syllables. This is especially important because without the accent, it becomes pais (parents), which is pronounced as a single syllable.

What is the dictionary form of preferes?

The dictionary form (the infinitive) is preferir (to prefer). It is a regular -ir verb in the present tense, so to say 'you prefer' informally, you drop the -ir and add the tu ending -es.