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Onde está a ração? Põe-na na tigela!

Onde está a ração? Põe-na na tigela!
Where is the pet food? Put it in the bowl!
From Lesson 99:Commands with object pronouns (alimenta-o, não o escoves)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Onde está a ração? Põe-na na tigela!

Why does the pronoun become -na in põe-na instead of staying as -a?
The word põe is the informal command for 'put' (from the verb pôr). You want to say 'put it', using the feminine pronoun a to replace a ração. However, when a verb ends in a nasal sound (like -m, -ão, or the -õe in põe), we add an 'n' to the pronoun to make it flow better. So, põe + a becomes põe-na.
Why does the pronoun attach to the end of põe with a hyphen?
In affirmative commands (telling someone TO do something), European Portuguese attaches the object pronoun to the end of the verb. If this were a negative command (telling someone NOT to do something), the negative word would pull the pronoun to the front before the verb. For example, 'Don't put it' would be Não a ponhas.
Are the two nas in Põe-na na tigela the exact same word?
They look identical but do completely different jobs! The first -na is the object pronoun meaning 'it' (referring to the pet food). The second na is the contraction of the preposition em (in/on) and the feminine word for 'the' (a). Together, na tigela means 'in the bowl'.
How do I know that ração is feminine and needs the pronoun -na instead of -no?
Almost all Portuguese words ending in -ção are feminine. Because a ração is feminine, you must use the feminine object pronoun a (which becomes -na after the nasal verb) when you refer back to it as 'it'.

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