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A médica não pôde tirar a dor forte.

A médica não pôde tirar a dor forte.
The doctor (f) couldn't take away the severe pain.
From Lesson 78:Past tense of ter, estar, poder, and saber·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about A médica não pôde tirar a dor forte.

Why does pôde have an accent mark?
The circumflex accent shows that this is the past tense (Pretérito Perfeito Simples) meaning "she could". Without the accent, pode is the present tense meaning "she can". The accent changes the pronunciation to have a more closed "o" sound and is essential for telling the two tenses apart in writing.
Why is the verb tirar used here for "take away"?
Tirar is a very common verb that means "to remove", "to take off", or "to take away". In Portuguese, you use it for taking off clothes, removing an object from a place, or, as in this sentence, taking away a physical sensation like pain.
Why is it dor forte instead of forte dor?
In Portuguese, adjectives (words that describe things) usually go right after the noun they describe. So, instead of saying "severe pain" like in English, you say the equivalent of "pain severe" (dor forte).
How would this sentence change if the doctor were a man?
Only the first two words would change: O médico não pôde tirar a dor forte. The word for doctor changes based on gender (o médico for a man, a médica for a woman). The rest of the sentence, including the past tense verb pôde, stays exactly the same.

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