Dá o exemplo e tem respeito pelos teus colegas.

Questions & Answers about Dá o exemplo e tem respeito pelos teus colegas.

The verb dar usually means "to give". Why does the translation say "Set the example"?
In Portuguese, the common expression is dar o exemplo (literally "to give the example"), which means "to set the example". Here, dá is the informal "tu" (you) command form of dar.
Why does the sentence use tem for a command? Isn't tem the "ele/ela" (he/she) form?
Yes, in the present tense, ele/ela tem means "he/she has". However, for affirmative commands (the imperative), the informal tu (you) form is built by using the present tense ele/ela form. So, tem here is an informal command meaning "have!".
The English translation says "for your colleagues", but the Portuguese uses pelos. Why not para os?
When talking about having respect, admiration, or feelings for someone, Portuguese typically uses the preposition por. Here, por combines with the masculine plural "the" (os) to make pelos.
How do we know this sentence is directed at someone informally?
There are three big clues. The verbs dá and tem are both in the informal tu command form (the formal versions would be dê and tenha). Also, the sentence uses the possessive word teus (your), which matches the informal tu.

Learn Dá o exemplo e tem respeito pelos teus colegas and more in Portuguese

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free