Breakdown of A sopa precisa de pouco alho.
a sopa
the soup
precisar de
to need
pouco
little
o alho
the garlic
Questions & Answers about A sopa precisa de pouco alho.
Why is there a de after precisa?
In Portuguese, the verb precisar (to need) usually requires the preposition de when followed by a noun. While in English you just say "needs garlic", in Portuguese you must say "needs of garlic" (precisa de alho).
Would it mean the same thing if the sentence used um pouco de alho instead of pouco alho?
Not quite! Pouco alho means "little garlic" (meaning not a lot, emphasizing a small limit). Um pouco de alho means "a little bit of garlic" (focusing on the presence of a small amount).
Does the word pouco change depending on the ingredient being talked about?
The current lesson is about commands. Is precisa being used as an imperative here?
No. Even though precisa happens to be the exact same word as the affirmative tu (informal) command for "need", here it is just the regular third-person present tense for "it needs" (referring to a sopa). You aren't giving a command to a bowl of soup!