Breakdown of O menino conta até cem.
cem
one hundred
o menino
the little boy
até
until
contar
to tell / to count
Questions & Answers about O menino conta até cem.
Why is it just cem and not um cem for "a hundred"?
In Portuguese, you do not need to use a word for "a" or "one" before a hundred or a thousand. The word cem by itself means "a hundred" or "one hundred".
I learned that conta means "tells", like telling a story. Does it also mean "counts"?
Yes, the verb contar means both "to tell" (like a story or a joke) and "to count" (numbers). Because this sentence talks about reaching a number, we know it means "counts" here.
When do I use cem instead of cento?
You use cem when the number is exactly one hundred (100). You use cento when the number is over one hundred and is followed by other numbers, like cento e um (101) or cento e vinte (120). Since he stops exactly at a hundred, we use cem.
Why does the sentence use até for the word "to"?
The word até means "until" or "up to". In Portuguese, when you are talking about reaching a limit—like counting up to a specific number or traveling as far as a certain place—you use até to show that endpoint.
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