Question 1

How does acaba de publicar translate to "has just published"?

Accepted Answer

The phrase acabar de followed by an infinitive verb (like publicar) is a special structure used to say that someone "has just" done something. Notice that we use the present tense of acabar (acaba), even though the action just finished in the recent past.

Question 2

Could I use the past tense and say acabou de publicar?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can! In European Portuguese, both the present tense (acaba de) and the past tense (acabou de) are commonly used in this structure to mean "has just done something". The meaning is exactly the same.

Question 3

I thought words ending in -a were feminine. Why is it o jornalista?

Accepted Answer

Nouns ending in -ista, which often describe professions, have the exact same spelling for both masculine and feminine forms. You only change the "the" word (the article) before it to show gender. O jornalista is a male journalist, and a jornalista is a female journalist.

Question 4

Why is "on the internet" translated as na internet?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, when talking about things being on the internet, on television, or on the radio, you use the preposition em (in/on). Because "internet" is treated as a feminine noun, em combines with the feminine word for "the" (a) to form na. You are literally saying "in the internet".

O jornalista acaba de publicar o artigo na internet.

Breakdown of O jornalista acaba de publicar o artigo na internet.

Questions & Answers about O jornalista acaba de publicar o artigo na internet.

Learn O jornalista acaba de publicar o artigo na internet and more in Portuguese