Breakdown of O seu livro está aqui. Entrego-lho amanhã.
o livro
the book
aqui
here
estar
to be (temporary / location)
amanhã
tomorrow
seu
your (formal) / his / her (all forms: seu, sua, seus, suas)
lho
it to him/her/you (m)
entregar
to hand in
Questions & Answers about O seu livro está aqui. Entrego-lho amanhã.
What exactly does lho mean here and how is it formed?
lho is a contraction of two pronouns: the indirect object lhe (meaning "to you" in this formal context) and the direct object o (meaning "it", referring to the masculine noun O seu livro). Instead of saying Entrego-lhe-o (which sounds clumsy), Portuguese combines them into lho.
Why is the pronoun attached to the end of the verb with a hyphen in Entrego-lho?
In European Portuguese, object pronouns usually attach to the end of the verb in affirmative sentences. Because Entrego is the very first word in its sentence, standard rules dictate that the pronoun must follow it, separated by a hyphen.
If the translation says "I will hand", why does the Portuguese sentence use the present tense Entrego?
Just like in English, Portuguese frequently uses the present tense to talk about firmly planned events in the near future. The word amanhã (tomorrow) makes it completely clear that the action is happening in the future, so the future tense isn't strictly necessary.
Could O seu livro and Entrego-lho also mean "His book" and "I hand it to him"?
Yes! The possessive seu and the pronoun lhe (hidden inside lho) can refer to "you" (formal), "him", or "her". Without the specific English translation provided here to guide us, this sentence could equally mean "His book is here. I will hand it to him tomorrow."
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