Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Plantamos as sementes e regamos a terra.

Plantamos as sementes e regamos a terra.

We plant the seeds and water the soil.

Breakdown of Plantamos as sementes e regamos a terra.

Questions & Answers about Plantamos as sementes e regamos a terra.

Why isn't the word for "we" (nós) at the beginning of the sentence?

In Portuguese, subject pronouns like nós (we) are often dropped. The ending of the verbs already tells us who is doing the action. Both plantamos and regamos end in -mos, which is the specific ending for "we" in the present tense.

Could plantamos and regamos also mean "we planted" and "we watered" in the past tense?

Not in European Portuguese! In the present tense, the "we" form for regular -ar verbs has no written accent: plantamos and regamos. In the past tense, they get an acute accent on the letter 'a' to show a more open sound: plantámos (we planted) and regámos (we watered).

Does terra just mean "Earth" like the planet?

It can mean the planet Earth (usually capitalized as Terra), but in gardening contexts like this one, a terra simply translates to the soil, dirt, or ground.

Since this lesson is about the verb pôr (to put), could we use it here instead of plantar?

You could technically use a form of pôr to say you put seeds in the ground (pomos as sementes na terra), but just like in English, Portuguese uses the specific verb plantar (to plant) for agriculture and gardening. It sounds much more natural for this context!