Phrase · 🧑 Describing people
Ela é de Belém, mas mora em Curitiba há dez anos.
She’s from Belém, but she’s lived in Curitiba for ten years.
B1saying where someone is fromAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
elapronounshe3rd sing. · subjecté1verbisser · present · 3rd sing.deprepositionfromBelémnounBelém,masconjunctionbutmora2verblivesmorar · present · 3rd sing.emprepositioninCuritibanounCuritibahá3verbforhaver · present · 3rd sing.dezdeterminertenanosnounyearsano · masc. · pl..
- ela → é: subject
- é → de: preposition
- ela → mora: subject
- mora → em: preposition
- há → anos: object
Word for word: “She is of Belém, but lives in Curitiba has ten years.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1ser de = to be from: origin is permanent, so ser. ser & estar: forms and core uses →
- 2mora há dez anos: present tense for something still going on, where English says "has lived". Time expressions: faz/há, desde, atrás, já, ainda →
- 3há (from haver) + time = for / ago. Speech also uses faz. Time expressions: faz/há, desde, atrás, já, ainda →
Variations
- Ela é de Belém, mas faz dez anos que mora em Curitiba.
- Ela é paraense, mas mora em Curitiba há dez anos.
- Ele nasceu em Manaus e mora em São Paulo desde criança.