Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O micro-ondas não trabalha bem.

O micro-ondas não trabalha bem.

The microwave does not work well.

Breakdown of O micro-ondas não trabalha bem.

Questions & Answers about O micro-ondas não trabalha bem.

O micro-ondas ends in 's', so why is the article o singular?

Micro-ondas literally means microwaves. It is a compound word made of micro and ondas (waves). Even though the second part is plural, the appliance itself is just one item, so it takes the singular article o. If you wanted to talk about multiple microwave ovens, it would be os micro-ondas.

I thought trabalhar meant to work at a job. Can it be used for appliances?

Yes! While trabalhar does mean to work at a job, in European Portuguese it is also widely used to say that a machine, motor, or appliance is running or functioning. You can also use the verb funcionar here (O micro-ondas não funciona), which means exactly the same thing.

Why is the sentence using bem instead of bom?

Bem is an adverb meaning well, and it describes the verb trabalha (how the microwave works). Bom is an adjective meaning good, which you use to describe nouns (like saying um bom micro-ondas for a good microwave). This is exactly like the difference between well and good in English.

Why is there a hyphen in micro-ondas?

In Portuguese spelling rules, you must use a hyphen when a prefix ends with the same vowel that the base word starts with. Because micro ends in o and ondas starts with o, they are separated by a hyphen to form micro-ondas.