Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Eles dão uma festa no verão.

Eles dão uma festa no verão.

They throw a party in the summer.

Breakdown of Eles dão uma festa no verão.

eles

they (m)

a / an / some (all forms)

in the / on the / at the (m, f, pl forms: na, nos, nas)

a festa

the party

Questions & Answers about Eles dão uma festa no verão.

The translation says "throw", but doesn't dão mean "give"?

Yes, the verb dar primarily means "to give". However, just like English uses specific verbs for hosting events, Portuguese does too. In Portugal, you "give" a party rather than "throwing" or "having" one. So, dar uma festa is the normal way to say "to throw a party".

Where does the word no come from to mean "in the"?

No is a mandatory combination (called a contraction) of the preposition em (in/on/at) and the masculine word for "the", which is o. Because verão (summer) is a masculine word, em and o combine to make no.

Could I just say em verão if I want to say "in summer" instead of "in the summer"?

No. Unlike English, Portuguese generally requires you to use "the" before the names of seasons. You must include the article and say no verão (in the summer), even if you would just say "in summer" in English.

How do I pronounce the -ão ending on dão and verão?

The squiggly line over the "a" is called a tilde (til). It tells you that the vowel sound is nasal, meaning the air should flow through your nose. The -ão ending sounds a bit like the English word "ow", but spoken through your nasal passage.