Word
O gato matou um pássaro no jardim.
Meaning
The cat killed a bird in the garden.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of O gato matou um pássaro no jardim.
o gato
the cat
um
a / an / some (all forms)
no
in the / on the / at the (m, f, pl forms: na, nos, nas)
o jardim
the garden
Questions & Answers about O gato matou um pássaro no jardim.
Why is the verb form matou used here?
The verb is matar (to kill). Matou is the simple past tense (pretérito perfeito) for the he/she/it form. For regular verbs ending in -ar, the past tense ending for this form is always -ou.
Does the accent mark on pássaro change how it is pronounced?
Yes! The acute accent tells you to stress that specific syllable. Instead of stressing the second-to-last syllable, which is the default rule in Portuguese without accents, you must stress the first syllable: PAS-sa-ro.
Why does the sentence use no before jardim?
In Portuguese, the preposition em (in, on, or at) must combine with the definite article that follows it. Since jardim is a masculine word, we use the masculine article o. When you combine em and o, they merge to form the word no.
Could I use ave instead of pássaro for bird?
Yes, but there is a slight difference in everyday use. Pássaro usually refers to smaller, flying birds, like the one the cat likely caught here. Ave is a broader term for any bird, including larger ones or poultry like chickens and ducks.