"She started eating."
Translation:Ela começou a comer.
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I've always remembered verbs in their root forms to be + "to" for instance, "limpar" I would think "to clean" so that a sentence like "Ele vai limpar o quarto" would be literally "He goes to clean the room"
So now I'm a little confused why there is an "a" before comer. I understand that "a" probably signifies "to"...so why is it in this case I must add the "a"? Is this one of those special cases caused by the verb "começar"? Any help would be appreciated!
Yes. You always use "começar + a + verbo".
Sometimes meaning future or daily actions: "eu começo a estudar este mês", "ele começa a trabalhar às 8"
"começar + noun": "começo meu curso mês que vem"
"começar + gerund" most used for habits: "Ele começa conferindo os preços" (he starts checking the prices) "Nós sempre começamos vendo as fotos mais antigas"...
Ah, that is good to know, thanks! I just encountered another sentence with the same problem though which I'm hoping you could help with as well! "Bebês aprendem a caminhar." Why is there an "a" before caminhar in this one as well? Is it the same thing with "aprender"? Is there a way to tell which verbs requires an "a"?
Yes. After aprender, use the preposition "a" if you using a verb:
Eu aprendo idiomas rápido (I learn languages quickly --- this sentence is dedicated to u :D)
"Eu aprendi a viver com menos"
So, when u use a verb, then take the preposition too. Some verbs may use prepositions or not, but then the meaning is changed. For example:
- Eu assisti ao (a + o) filme = I watched the movie.
- Eu assisti o paciente (I helped / cared for the patient).
These are common verbs we use the preposition a:
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Convidar, invite
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Voltar, come back
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Trazer, bring
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Responder, atender, answer
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Pertencer, belong
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Agregar, add
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Ajustar, adjust
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Anunciar, annunciate
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Aspirar, expect
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Associar, associate
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Continuar, continue
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Avisar, let (someone) know
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Chamar, call
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Chegar, arrive
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Começar, start, begin
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Comunicar, communicate
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Conduzir, lead
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Contar, tell.
These are some of them. I don't think it's worth learning lots of them at this point, but little by little.... hope that helps :)
There is no rule on that, you just have to know them....
Ahh, well, It seems a lot of practice is in order to get it perfect. Thanks again, you're always a big help! :)
Frankly... never mind. This is the why nobody speaks portuguese correctly.... if one does that, he will sound strange since nobody is used to that. portuguese is sometimes kinda hard.
Aw, a lot of Brazillians I've met say this too, that even their people struggle with speaking perfect Portuguese, that its difficult to do so. But I will still try! I'm not that worried about sounding strange, I already have a strange accent :)
Good to know that. I just remembered what a famous Brazilian TV presenter once said:
"Portuguese is not a language, but a secret code!"
He could say that with authority because he is really clever and speaks more than 8 languages... I think.... That encouraged me to learn German later.... but I still hope to talk to you someday, even with a weird accent. That's what happens to me when I try to use my French: "Mais je l'enssaye. Je sais que je ne parle pas bien (pas du tout) mais je l'aime bien" :P
For English speakers, Portuguese is considered to be one of the languages (along with Spanish, French, Italian, Africaans, and a few others) that's the easiest to learn. (Level One). German is Level Three for English speakers.
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It just did an exercise where it offered "Ela terminou comer", so why not "Ela começou comer"?
According the rules of "regência", terminar requires the preposition "de" before an infinitive.
• Ela terminou de escrever o livro.
• She finished writing the book.
Começar requires the preposition a before an infinitive:
• Ela começou a escrever o livro.
• She began to write the book.
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Thanks! My question though was why Duo didn't put a preposition when it asked me to translate "Ela terminou comer", but marked me wrong when I didn't do the same on "Ela começou comer". I'm cool with being told it's OK/not OK to omit it, but it's confusing when it seems inconsistent.
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@emeyr, can you recommend an authoritative reference that itemizes verb usage in BP specifically with respect to the regência verbal? I have a Houaiss which serves to some degree, but it's not ideal. Thank you!
Depending on context, a verb may be used with no preposition or several different prepositions. "Assistir" is an example of such a verb: https://www.conjugacao.com.br/regencia-do-verbo-assistir/
I always google the specific verb because I don't know of an up-to-date text that covers all the permutations of "regência".
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Thank you for your thoughtful and quick reply (and for the search tip). I confess that I have been hoping to find a printed reference book, and thus far have been quite unsuccessful. The adjective up-to-date is likely to be one reason, as you suggest. Muitíssimo obrigado!
This is what the internet provides...1.)
https://www.conjugacao.com.br/regencia-verbal/
2) in three parts, alphabetical order https://recantodasletras.com.br/gramatica/88821
Good luck!
What about "Ela iniciou comer"? I using a form of incorrect in this case?