Breakdown of Eles ainda não escolheram o destino.
não
not / no
eles
they (m)
ainda
still / yet / even (with comparatives)
escolher
to choose
o destino
the destination
Questions & Answers about Eles ainda não escolheram o destino.
Why is escolheram in the simple past tense when the English translation uses a present perfect tense?
In Portuguese, when you want to say you haven't done something yet, you use ainda não with the simple past tense. English uses the present perfect to say you haven't chosen something, but Portuguese simply uses the past tense to show the action hasn't happened up to this point.
Can I put ainda não at the end of the sentence like the English word yet?
Generally, no. In Portuguese, ainda não almost always goes immediately before the verb. You say ainda não escolheram rather than putting the time expression at the very end of the sentence.
Why does escolheram end in -am instead of -ão?
Verbs ending in -am are in the past tense, so escolheram means they chose. If you used -ão to make escolherão, it would change the tense to the future, meaning they will choose. It is a very common mix-up because both endings sound somewhat similar, but the spoken stress on escolheram falls on the second-to-last syllable.
Does destino mean destiny or destination?
It can mean both! Depending entirely on the context, o destino translates to a travel destination, as it does in this sentence, or to fate and destiny.
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