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Este casaco pertence à Rita.

Este casaco pertence à Rita.
This coat belongs to Rita.
From Lesson 172:O dinheiro e os donos (valer, pertencer a)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Este casaco pertence à Rita.

o casaco
the coat
o este
the east
pertencer a
to belong to

Questions & Answers about Este casaco pertence à Rita.

Why is there an accent on the word à?
The word à is a contraction of the preposition a (to) and the feminine definite article a (the). The verb pertencer (to belong) requires the preposition a. Because Rita is a woman's name, it takes the feminine article a. When you combine a plus a, you get à with a grave accent to show the contraction.
Why do we add an article before the name to make it à Rita?
In European Portuguese, it is standard to use a definite article (o or a) before a person's first name in everyday speech. Therefore, we use the feminine article a before Rita. While in English we just say 'belongs to Rita', the Portuguese literally translates as 'belongs to the Rita'.
Could I use esse instead of este for 'this coat'?
Not if you want to say 'this'. Este means 'this' and is used for an object physically close to the speaker, like a coat you are currently holding or wearing. Esse means 'that' and is used for an object close to the person you are talking to.
How is the verb pertencer conjugated here?
The verb pertencer (to belong) is a completely regular -er verb. In this sentence, este casaco acts as a third-person singular subject (it), so we drop the -er ending and add -e to get pertence.

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