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O pássaro está na gaiola. Fecha-a!

O pássaro está na gaiola. Fecha-a!
The bird is in the cage. Close it!
From Lesson 99:Commands with object pronouns (alimenta-o, não o escoves)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O pássaro está na gaiola. Fecha-a!

Why is the pronoun attached to the end of the verb in Fecha-a!?
In Portuguese, affirmative commands require the object pronoun to come after the verb, joined by a hyphen. If it were a negative command, the pronoun would jump in front of the verb instead: Não a feches! (Don't close it!).
Why is the pronoun -a instead of -o?
The pronoun refers back to gaiola (cage), which is a feminine noun. Therefore, we use the feminine singular pronoun -a to translate the English word it.
Why doesn't the pronoun change to -la here?
The object pronoun only changes to -la when the verb directly before it ends in the consonants -r, -s, or -z. Because the command fecha ends in a vowel, the pronoun simply stays as -a.
Which version of you does the command Fecha correspond to?
Fecha is the informal tu form of the affirmative imperative for the verb fechar (to close). If you were giving this command formally to a você, it would be Feche-a!

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