Breakdown of A minha irmã mora lá.
a irmã
the sister
morar
to live
meu
my (m/f/pl: meu, minha, meus, minhas)
lá
there (far off)
Questions & Answers about A minha irmã mora lá.
Why is there an 'A' at the very beginning of the sentence?
In European Portuguese, it is standard to put a definite article (meaning 'the') before possessive words like 'my'. Since irmã (sister) is a feminine noun, we use the feminine article A before minha. Literally, the sentence starts with 'The my sister'.
Could I use the verb vive instead of mora here?
Yes! Both morar and viver mean 'to live'. Morar specifically means to reside at an address or in a certain location, while viver is a bit broader and also means 'to be alive'. When talking about where someone resides, you can use either one perfectly well.
If I wanted to say 'my brother' instead, would I just say 'A minha irmão'?
What is the difference between lá and ali if both mean 'there'?
Both words translate to 'there', but they imply different distances. Ali means 'there' but relatively close, usually a place you can see and point to right now. Lá means 'over there' or much further away, often completely out of sight. Since the sister lives in another town or area, lá is the most natural choice.