Let's take a closer look at the conversation. |
Do you remember how Sasha Lee says, |
"Excuse me, do you have any salt?" |
Com licença, você tem sal? |
This starts with, com licença, “excuse me.” Com licença. |
First is com, "with." Com. Com. |
Next is licença, meaning "consent" in this context. Licença. Licença. |
All together, com licença literally means "with consent," but it translates as "excuse me." |
Next is você tem, "you have." Você tem. |
First is você, meaning "you," in this context. Você. Você. |
Note: in Brazilian Portuguese você is used when addressing someone in a casual conversation. |
After this is tem, literally "has," but translates as "have," in this context. Tem. Tem. |
Tem is from the verb ter, meaning "to have." Ter. |
Together você tem, "you have." Você tem. |
Note: você, "you," is always followed by a verb in the third person singular, as in Você tem, literally, "you has," but translates as "you have." |
Last is sal, "salt." Sal. Sal. |
All together, Com licença, você tem sal? This literally means "Excuse me, you has salt," but translates as "Excuse me, [do] you have [any] salt?" |
Com licença, você tem sal? |
Let's take a closer look at the response. |
Do you remember how the clerk says, |
"Yes, I do. Here it is." |
Tenho sim, fica aqui. |
First is tenho, meaning "[I] have." Tenho. Tenho. |
Tenho is a shortened form of eu tenho, "I have." Eu is omitted, as it's understood from context. |
Next is sim, "yes." Sim. Sim. |
Together, tenho sim literally means "[I] have yes," but translates as "Yes, I do." Tenho sim. |
Next is fica, literally "[it] stays" or "[it] is situated," but translates as "[it] is." Fica. Fica. |
Note, "it" is omitted as it's understood from context. |
Fica is from the verb ficar, "to stay" or "to be situated." Ficar. |
Last is aqui, "here." Aqui. Aqui. |
All together, it's Tenho sim, fica aqui. "Yes, I do. Here it is." |
Tenho sim, fica aqui. |
The pattern is |
Com licença, você tem ITEM? |
Excuse me, do you have ITEM? |
Com licença, você tem ITEM? |
To use this pattern, simply replace the ITEM placeholder with the thing you're looking for. |
Note: This pattern requires a noun. |
Imagine you're looking for milk. |
Leite, "milk." Leite. Leite. |
Say |
"Excuse me, do you have milk?" |
Ready? |
Com licença, você tem leite? |
"Excuse me, do you have milk?" |
Com licença, você tem leite? |
Com licença, "Excuse me," can be used in a variety of situations, for example, to get someone's attention in a polite way or pass someone by in a crowded place. |
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