Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Quando é que o carteiro to deu?

Quando é que o carteiro to deu?

When did the postman give it to you?

Breakdown of Quando é que o carteiro to deu?

Questions & Answers about Quando é que o carteiro to deu?

What exactly is to in this sentence?

It is a contraction of two pronouns. The indirect object pronoun te (to you) combines with the direct object pronoun o (it). In Portuguese, te + o shrinks into the single word to, meaning "it to you".

Why does to come before the verb deu rather than after it?

Normally in Portugal, pronouns attach to the end of the verb. However, question words like Quando (when) act like magnets that pull pronouns to the front of the verb.

What purpose does é que serve here?

Adding é que (literally "is it that") right after a question word is very common in spoken Portuguese. It does not change the meaning, but it makes the question sound more natural and allows you to keep a normal subject-verb order afterwards.

Which verb is deu and who is doing the action?

deu is the past tense (Pretérito Perfeito) of the verb dar (to give). It is in the third-person singular form because the subject doing the giving is o carteiro (the postman).