Question 1

Why does the sentence end in não é? instead of something matching the verb tem?

Accepted Answer

In English, tag questions usually match the main verb (like changing "has" to "doesn't he?"). In Portuguese, não é? (literally "isn't it?") is a fixed, universal tag used to confirm almost any positive statement. You don't need to change the verb in the tag.

Question 2

Could I use the other confirmation tag, pois não?, at the end of this sentence instead?

Accepted Answer

No, because the main statement here is positive (he does have a beard). You use não é? to check if a positive statement is true. You only use pois não? when you want to confirm a negative statement, such as "He doesn't have a beard, does he?".

Question 3

Why is there an O at the very beginning of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

In European Portuguese, it is standard practice to place a definite article (o, a, os, as) right before a possessive word. Because irmão is a masculine singular noun, we use o before teu, literally saying "the your brother".

Question 4

The English translation says "a beard", but I don't see a word for "a" in the Portuguese sentence. Why?

Accepted Answer

When talking about having certain physical traits or everyday items (like a beard, a mustache, or a car), Portuguese usually leaves out the indefinite article (um or uma). You simply say tem barba (literally "has beard").

O teu irmão tem barba agora, não é?

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