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Os meus avós moram na vila.

Os meus avós moram na vila.
My grandparents live in the small town.
From Lesson 166:Na cidade (o multibanco, os bombeiros)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Os meus avós moram na vila.

Why do we need "Os" before "meus avós"?
In European Portuguese, we almost always use a definite article (o, a, os, as) before a possessive word. Since avós (grandparents) is masculine plural, we use os meus instead of just meus.
The word "avós" has an acute accent, which usually marks feminine words like "avó" (grandmother). Why is it used for "grandparents"?
The word for grandfather is avô and grandmother is avó. When talking about a mixed group of grandparents, Portuguese uses the masculine plural article os, but keeps the open sound of the feminine word. So, os avós means the grandparents, while os avôs would mean specifically the grandfathers!
Could I use "vivem" instead of "moram" here?
Yes! Both morar and viver can mean to reside somewhere. Morar specifically means to have a home at an address, while viver can mean residing but also means to be alive in general. Here, Os meus avós vivem na vila would mean the exact same thing.
Where does the word "na" come from?
Na is a mandatory contraction of the preposition em (in/on/at) and the feminine singular article a (the). Because vila is a feminine noun, "in the small town" becomes em + a = na.
The translation says "vila" means small town. How is it different from a city or a village?
In Portugal, a vila is a town. It is bigger and has more services than a village (aldeia) but is smaller than a city (cidade).

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