"The boy eats dinner."
Translation:O menino come o jantar.
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That does not sound good Portuguese... It's better to use the definite article...
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And yet 'the boy eats lunch' 'o menino come almoço' is accepted. It's inconsistent, so we just have to guess when the language suddenly needs the article.
This is a terrible reply. You're saying one is right and one is wrong, but with zero explaination
Just because this type of question might have been replied previously in thousand of different posts =)
Portuguese language uses definite articles more often than English does.
You should always use "comer o jantar".
If the correct way is "o menino come O jantar" , then the english literal translation should be "The boy eats THE dinner" not just the boy eats dinner, right?
O menino come peixe - the boy eats fish. O menino come o jantar - the boy eats dinner. Why different? =(
- 1787
I don't find this a very good sample sentence to translate from English as an exercise.
If "O menino come o jantar" is indeed the most common way anyone would hear this offered in Brazeeoo... then the sample sentence should likewise reflect that and include the article 'THE.'
In English this sentence works with and without the article. But in Portuguese apparently it does not. So, why offer the sentence in English without the article... and then expect a learner such as myself to devine that the article is somehow necessary in this case?
I could easily feature that MOST first language English speakers would get this wrong... or at least stumble with it initially anyway. They wouldn't think to add an article... because that didn't appear in the sample English sentence. And they'd not have the benefit of experience with what 'sounds' correct and is commonly said.
while people might get upset that they got the answer wrong because they wouldn't personally know that they need the article (i too had the same experience), i don't think changing the sentence would help anyone whose trying to learn. mistakes is how we learn and improve and most people from the looks of it would never had figured out the proper Portuguese translation is they didn't get it wrong. :) maybe that why its on here granted they should have a lesson on articles and when and why to use them. i don't feel like they explain it really
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Yes indeed! Sometimes the best way to learn something is to get it wrong at first. Duolingo is not a competition to see who gets the fewest answers wrong; it's a way to learn a language. Getting some answers wrong is part of the process.
A question for native speakers only: Do you really say it this way? "O menino come jantar." Isn't it much more common to say it this way? "O menino janta."
Indeed! - we have the verbs "almoçar" e "jantar", so it's odd to say "comer almoço/janta".
Definite articles are much more common (and used) in Portuguese than they are in English. In this sentence, for example, you have to include it.
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How do we differentiate between "The boy eats dinner" and "The boy eats THE dinner" if they both need the article?
If it is just "true" that "The boy eats dinner" is "O menino come o jantar" and not "O menino come jantar" than the programmers should say "The boy eats the dinner."
It will always be "O menino come o jantar" even though it is not about a specific dinner.
Thats fine if it should be o jantar even though "the" is dropped, bit duoling needs to be consistent about it because sometimes they do not accept "the lunch" if o is not present. But, again, given their failure to correct other inconsistencies and errors, I do not hold great hope.
Why for "the boy eats" you say "o menino comE" but for "the boy cuts" you say "o menino cortA"?
Because of the ending of ther verb. Verbs ended in ER (COMER) usually have E at the end of the main part: comE. Verbs ended in AR (CORTAR) usually have A at the end: cortA. It is for the 3rd singular person.
What's the difference between "O menino come o janta" and "O menino come a janta" It marked both as acceptable. And what is janta vs jantar?
O menino come a janta = O menino come o jantaR
- Janta = feminine noun.
- Jantar = masculine noun.
A janta = O jantar
Wait why is the "o" before "menino" necessary? I can say "Meninos comem" instead of "Os meninos comem". Shouldn't I be able to say "Menino come o jantar"?