Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Ela lava o cabelo todos os dias.

Ela lava o cabelo todos os dias.

She washes her hair every day.

Breakdown of Ela lava o cabelo todos os dias.

Questions & Answers about Ela lava o cabelo todos os dias.

Why does the sentence use o cabelo (the hair) instead of o seu cabelo (her hair)?

In Portuguese, you generally use the definite article (o or a) instead of a possessive word like seu (her) for body parts when it is already obvious whose body part it is. Because the sentence starts with Ela lava (She washes), we naturally assume it is her own hair, so the article o is enough.

Why is "every day" translated as todos os dias? Can I use cada dia instead?

Todos os dias literally means "all the days" and is the most natural way to express a daily routine in Portuguese. You can say cada dia (each day), but that puts special focus on each individual day rather than describing a regular daily habit.

Why do we need the word os in todos os dias?

When using todo or todos to mean "all" or "every" followed by a noun, Portuguese requires the definite article right before that noun. Because dias (days) is masculine and plural, you must use os, making the phrase todos os dias.

Why is cabelo singular? Shouldn't it be plural since she has many hairs?

Just like in English, Portuguese uses the singular cabelo to talk about a person's entire head of hair. If you used the plural cabelos, it would sound like you are talking about loose, individual strands of hair rather than her hair as a whole.