Breakdown of A tia Ana faz um bolo ao domingo.
um
a / an / some (all forms)
o bolo
the cake
ao
to the / at the (m.sg; f.sg à, m.pl aos, f.pl às)
o domingo
the Sunday
fazer
to do
a tia
the aunt
Questions & Answers about A tia Ana faz um bolo ao domingo.
Why is there an A before tia Ana? Doesn't that literally mean "The aunt Ana"?
Yes, it literally means "the". In European Portuguese, it is standard to use definite articles (o or a) before people's names and family titles when you are talking about them rather than directly to them. So, A tia Ana is the natural and grammatically correct way to say "Aunt Ana" in this sentence.
Why does the sentence use ao domingo (singular) when the English translation says "on Sundays" (plural)?
To express that something happens regularly on a specific day of the week, Portuguese speakers often use ao (the preposition a combined with the article o) plus the singular day. So ao domingo translates to "on Sundays" or "every Sunday". You could also say aos domingos, but the singular form is extremely common for weekly habits.
Doesn't the verb fazer mean "to do"? Why does faz mean "makes" here?
Why is the simple present tense faz used if this is something she does repeatedly every week?
Just like in English, the simple present tense in Portuguese is used to describe regular habits, facts, and routines. Since baking this cake is a weekly Sunday tradition, using the present tense faz is exactly what you need here.
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