Breakdown of Vocês andavam de bicicleta no parque?
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
vocês
you (pl)
em
in / on / at
a bicicleta
the bicycle
o parque
the park
andar
to walk
Questions & Answers about Vocês andavam de bicicleta no parque?
Why is it andavam here instead of andaram?
Andavam is in the Pretérito Imperfeito (Past Imperfect) tense, which we use for ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past. It translates to used to ride or were riding. If you used the simple past (andaram), it would mean a completed, one-time action: Did you ride?
How do we form the imperfect tense for vocês with andar?
Doesn't andar usually mean to walk? Why does it mean to ride here?
While andar often means to walk, when it is paired with de and a mode of transportation (like bicicleta, carro, or comboio), it means to ride or to travel by that transport.
Why do we say de bicicleta instead of translating 'a bike' literally?
In Portuguese, you do not usually say you ride 'a' bike. Instead, you express the method of transport using the preposition de (by) without an article. So, andar de bicicleta essentially means to go by bicycle.
Where does no come from in no parque?
No is a mandatory contraction of the preposition em (in/on/at) and the masculine singular definite article o (the). Together they make no (in the).
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