A criança precisa de ajuda para abrir a porta.

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Breakdown of A criança precisa de ajuda para abrir a porta.

• precisar de: to need
• abrir: to open
• a porta: the door
• a criança: the child
• ajuda: help

Questions & Answers about A criança precisa de ajuda para abrir a porta.

Why do we say A criança precisa de ajuda instead of A criança precisa ajuda?

In Portuguese, the verb precisar is typically followed by de when you use it with a noun. So you say precisa de ajuda (literally, "needs of help"), rather than precisa ajuda. In other words, after precisar, you need to include de before a noun to make the sentence correct.

Does criança always refer to a feminine noun in Portuguese?

Yes, criança is a feminine noun in Portuguese, even though it can refer to a child of any gender. There is no masculine form like crianço—criança is the standard word for "child" in both cases.

Why is the article A used before criança, and not Uma?

A is the definite article, meaning the, so A criança means "the child" in a specific sense. If you said Uma criança, you'd be talking more generally about "a child," without specifying which one. In this sentence, it suggests we are talking about a particular child who needs help.

Why do we use para abrir here?

Para followed by the infinitive (abrir) often expresses purpose in Portuguese—in this case, "in order to open the door." So, para abrir a porta translates to "to open the door" or "in order to open the door."

Could we say A criança precisa de ajuda abrindo a porta?

Yes, you could say A criança precisa de ajuda abrindo a porta, which would translate more like "The child needs help (while) opening the door." However, para abrir a porta is more common and highlights the purpose: "The child needs help in order to open the door." Both are acceptable, but they convey slightly different nuances of meaning.