ao
The Portuguese word ao means "to the" (masculine).
What does it mean word for word?
The word ao is a contraction of the preposition a (meaning "to" or "at") and the masculine singular article o (meaning "the").
Which one should you use?
ao is used specifically for masculine singular nouns. For feminine singular nouns, you must use the contraction à instead. For masculine plural nouns, you should use aos.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine plural form of this contraction is aos, which combines the preposition a with the masculine plural article os.
Did you know?
- The Portuguese use ao sabor de to describe being 'at the mercy of' something, literally 'to the taste of'.
- In Portuguese, the expression ao pé de literally means 'to the foot of' but is commonly used as a synonym for 'next to'.
- The phrase ao contrário means 'the opposite way' or 'inside out', and is used when you put your shoes or clothes on the wrong way.
Examples in context
- Vou ao supermercado.I'm going to the supermarket.
- Estou indo ao médico.I'm going to the doctor.
- Vou ao mercado.I am going to the market.
- Eu vou ao cinema hoje.I am going to the cinema today.
- Ele deu um presente ao professor.He gave a gift to the teacher.
- Nós caminhamos ao longo do rio.We walked along the river.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their plans for the afternoon.
- CamilaVocê quer ir ao parque?Do you want to go to the park?
- LucasSim, eu adoraria ir ao parque.Yes, I would love to go to the park.
- CamilaLucas, você pode levar a bola?Lucas, can you take the ball?
- LucasClaro, eu levo ao parque.Sure, I will take it to the park.
