Breakdown of Elas guardam a bonequinha no cantinho da mantinha.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
elas
they (f)
em
in / on / at
guardar
to keep
o canto
the corner
a manta
the blanket
a boneca
the doll
Questions & Answers about Elas guardam a bonequinha no cantinho da mantinha.
Why is bonequinha spelled with qu instead of a c?
The base word is boneca (doll). If we just added -inha, it would be spelled bonecinha, and the c would make a soft 's' sound because it comes before an 'i'. To keep the hard 'k' sound from boneca, the spelling must change to qu when adding the diminutive suffix.
What are the base words for cantinho and mantinha?
They come from canto (corner) and manta (blanket). To make a noun diminutive, you usually drop the final vowel (o or a) and add -inho or -inha.
Do diminutive words always keep the gender of the original word?
Why are there three diminutives in this one sentence?
While translating it as 'the little doll in the little corner of the little blanket' sounds like overkill in English, stacking diminutives is very natural in Portuguese. It gives the whole sentence a cute, cozy, and affectionate feeling, rather than just literally describing the physical size of the objects.
Why does the sentence use guardam for 'keep' instead of the verb manter?
The verb guardar means to 'keep' in the sense of putting something away, storing it, or keeping it safe (like putting away a toy). Manter means to 'keep' in the sense of maintaining a state or condition, like keeping a room warm or keeping a promise.
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