Breakdown of Nós queríamos duas chávenas de chá e uma fatia de bolo.
e
and
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
nós
we
um
a / an / some (all forms)
Questions & Answers about Nós queríamos duas chávenas de chá e uma fatia de bolo.
Why does the sentence use queríamos (we wanted) when the English translation says "we would like"?
In Portuguese, it is very common to use the Pretérito Imperfeito (the imperfect past tense) to make polite requests. Saying queremos (we want) in the present tense can sound too direct or demanding in a cafe or restaurant. Using queríamos softens the request, just like saying "we would like" does in English.
Why is the number two written as duas instead of dois?
Is chávena the usual word for "cup"? I thought the word was xícara.
Yes, chávena is the standard word for a tea or coffee cup in Portugal. If you have learned xícara before, that is because it is the word most commonly used in Brazilian Portuguese.
Why do we need the word de in chávenas de chá and fatia de bolo?