"Somos homens."
Translation:We are men.
19 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
The full sentence is "Nós somos homens", but as the verb conjugation "somos" is only used with nós (we), you can omit it.
734
Is this behaviour common with other pronouns too, as it is in Spanish, or is this just for nós? For example, could you just say "como pao" without it sounding odd?
Some (like são for eles/elas and vocês) are the same for different words. Do you guess the meaning from context in these cases?
Yes, we usually know which one the person is talking from context or analyzing the direction he/she is looking while speaking. You can infer it from previous use of eles/elas/vocês also. But it is much more common to not use "vocês" comparing to "eles/elas" in daily talk. In the beginning of a dialogue, você and vocês are more used.
For example:
Com licença, pode me dizer como chego na Rua...? (Excuse me, can you tell me how can I go to the Street...?)
Bom dia, como estão? (Good morning, how are you?)
PS: "Pode" can be used for He/She also, and "Estão" for Eles/Elas.
- 734
somos = are. "We" is implied because with that conjugation it couldn't be anything but "we are".
Eu - sou (I am)
Tu - és (You are - Singular)
Ele/Ela/Você - é (He/She is for Ele/Ela and You are for Você)
Nós - somos (We are)
Vós - sois (You are - Plural)
Eles/Elas/Vocês - são (They are for Eles/Elas and You are for Vocês)
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Você = You (Singular) - Used in Brazil, not used in Portugal
Tu = You (Singular) - Not used in Brazil, used in Portugal
Vocês = You (Plural) - Used in Brazil, used in Portugal
Vós = You (Plural) - Not used in Brazil, not used in Portugal
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In Portuguese, verb "to be" can be translated as SER or ESTAR. The difference you can notice easily:
I am a boy = Eu sou um garoto (usually for a "permanent" or long-time state)
I am sick = Eu estou doente (usually for a "current" or small-time state/action)
I am pregnant = Eu estou grávida (instead of "eu SOU grávida")
He is a swimmer = Ele é um nadador (instead of "ele ESTÁ um nadador")
He is swimming = Ele está nadando (instead of "ele É nadando")
You are taller than me = Você é mais alto do que eu (if you say "você ESTÁ mais alto do que eu", you are saying that the boy/man you are talking to wasn't taller than you before, but he is now). PS: "Alto" is a adjective used for masculine nouns.
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For further information about pronouns, see my comment here: https://www.duolingo.com/comment/91257
Você = You (Singular) - Used in Brazil, not used in Portugal
Tu = You (Singular) - Not used in Brazil, used in Portugal
Vocês = You (Plural) - Used in Brazil, used in Portugal
Vós = You (Plural) - Not used in Brazil, not used in Portugal
Just to be clear, você is often avoided in Portugal but does get some use, especially by those from Brazil or those who have learned the Brazilian version of PT. It is however considered rude, crude, even insulting.
Tu is still used in Brazil, with the last numbers I read being by some 27 million which is a good amount (more than the populations of many of the countries whose languages are taught by Duolingo).
Vós is still used in Northern Portugal mostly close to the border with Galicia from whence the Portuguese language was born and where the word is still used in their language (Galego – one of the official languages of Spain):
It seems that others also have difficulties with pronouncing "homem". It is reeeeally hard for me (too). Any tips? Obrigada!
Why am I told to use "nós somos mulheres" when talking about women, but only "somos homens" when men?