Breakdown of O colega a quem dei o convite chegou atrasado.
quem
who
a
to / at (direction)
atrasado
late
chegar
to arrive
Questions & Answers about O colega a quem dei o convite chegou atrasado.
Why do we say a quem instead of just quem?
In English, we often put the preposition at the end of the sentence, like in "The colleague I gave the invitation to." In Portuguese, you cannot leave a preposition stranded at the end. It must go right before the relative pronoun quem (who/whom). Literally, this is phrased as "The colleague to whom I gave the invitation."
How do I know which preposition to put before quem?
You look at the verb that connects to the pronoun! Here, the verb is dar (to give). In Portuguese, you give something to someone, which is dar a alguém. Because the action uses the preposition a, that is the exact preposition we place before quem.
Where is the word for "I" in the Portuguese sentence?
Why use atrasado for "late" instead of tarde?