Breakdown of Nós temos dois abre-latas e dois saca-rolhas na gaveta da cozinha.
e
and
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
nós
we
ter
to have
em
in / on / at
a gaveta
the drawer
dois
two
o
him/it (m)
a cozinha
the kitchen
o abre-latas
the can opener
o saca-rolhas
the corkscrew
Questions & Answers about Nós temos dois abre-latas e dois saca-rolhas na gaveta da cozinha.
Why don't abre-latas and saca-rolhas change form to show that there are two of them?
Both of these words are compound nouns made of a verb plus a noun that is already plural (latas meaning cans, and rolhas meaning corks). Because the noun part is already in the plural form, the whole word stays exactly the same whether you have one or many. You just change the number or article before it, like um abre-latas versus dois abre-latas.
What verbs make up the first part of abre-latas and saca-rolhas?
Abre comes from the verb abrir (to open). Saca comes from the verb sacar (to pull out or extract). Compound nouns formed by a verb and a noun are very common in Portuguese. Literally, the objects translate to open-cans and pull-corks!
Why do we say gaveta da cozinha instead of just translating "kitchen drawer" directly as cozinha gaveta?
In English, you can stack nouns together like "kitchen drawer," but Portuguese doesn't do this. You have to connect them with the preposition de (of). Also, Portuguese often includes the definite article for specific rooms in a house, so we use da (de + a), making it literally the "drawer of the kitchen."
Is the word nós strictly necessary at the beginning of the sentence?
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