Breakdown of Levo o fato de banho para a praia.
a praia
the beach
para
to / for
levar
to take (somewhere)
o fato de banho
the swimsuit
Questions & Answers about Levo o fato de banho para a praia.
The translation says "my swimsuit", but I don't see meu in the Portuguese sentence. Why is that?
In Portuguese, when it is obvious who an item of clothing or a body part belongs to, you usually just use the definite article (o or a). Since you are the one packing or taking it, o fato de banho (the swimsuit) naturally translates to "my swimsuit" in this context.
I thought the verb "to take" was tomar. Why use levo here?
English uses "take" for many things, but Portuguese splits them up. Levar (used here as levo) means to physically carry or transport something away from your current location. You use tomar for consuming things (tomar um café), personal care (tomar banho), or taking public transport.
Does fato mean "fact"?
No, that is a common "false friend"! In European Portuguese, fato means a suit (clothing). A "fact" is translated as facto. Therefore, fato de banho literally means "suit of bath", which is the standard way people in Portugal say "swimsuit".
Why use para a praia instead of just à praia?
When you transport an object to a destination to use it or leave it there, para (towards/to) is the most natural choice, which becomes para a before a feminine noun like praia. You will see à (the contraction of a + a) used more often when talking about short, temporary visits, such as vou à praia (I am going to the beach).
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