Breakdown of Servem-se jantares baratíssimos naquele café.
em
in / on / at
o café
the café
barato
cheap
o jantar
the dinner
aquele
that over there (aquele, aquela, aqueles, aquelas)
se
himself / herself / themselves
servir
to serve
Questions & Answers about Servem-se jantares baratíssimos naquele café.
Why is the verb plural (servem-se) instead of singular (serve-se)?
This sentence uses the passive se, which translates to "are served" here. In these constructions, the verb agrees with the noun receiving the action. Since jantares (dinners) is plural, the verb servir must also be in the plural form (servem). If it were just one dinner, it would be serve-se um jantar.
Why is the se attached to the end of the verb with a hyphen?
In European Portuguese, object pronouns like se naturally attach to the end of the verb in simple positive statements. Most importantly, a sentence can never begin with a pronoun. Since the verb is the very first word here, the se has to tuck onto the end: Servem-se.
How does the ending on baratíssimos work?
This is the absolute superlative form of barato (cheap). To say something is extremely or very cheap, you drop the final letter and add -íssimo. Because it describes jantares, which is a masculine and plural noun, the adjective must match and become baratíssimos.
I recognise aquele (that), but why is it naquele here?
Naquele is a mandatory contraction of the preposition em (in or at) and the demonstrative word aquele (that over there). It literally means "in that" (in that café). In Portuguese, combining em with words like este, esse, or aquele is always required.
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