Eu achei uma cidade bonita para passear no sábado passado, mas demorei para chegar.

I found a beautiful city to stroll in last Saturday, but it took me a long time to arrive.

Breakdown of Eu achei uma cidade bonita para passear no sábado passado, mas demorei para chegar.

• eu: I
• uma: a
• a cidade: the city
• para: to
• mas: but
• bonito: beautiful
• chegar: to arrive
• passear: to stroll
• achar: to find
• no: on
• o sábado: the Saturday
• passado: past
• demorar: to take a long time

Questions & Answers about Eu achei uma cidade bonita para passear no sábado passado, mas demorei para chegar.

What does "achei" mean in this context?

"Achei" is the first-person singular form of the verb "achar", which generally means "to find" (physically or in a figurative sense). It can also imply "I thought" or "I found out that..." Depending on context, you might say "Eu achei uma cidade bonita..." to mean you discovered or came across a nice city, rather than physically looking for it.

Why do we use "achei" instead of "encontrei"?

While "encontrei" (from "encontrar") also means "I found" in a literal sense, "achei" is more flexible and can convey either discovering something or thinking about something in a certain way. In many cases, Brazilian Portuguese uses "achar" more commonly than English uses "to find" when expressing personal impressions or discoveries.

What does "passear" mean, and how is it used here?

"Passear" generally means "to go for a leisurely trip or walk, to stroll around, or to enjoy an outing." In the sentence, "para passear" indicates the purpose of visiting that city was "to go out and walk around, explore, or have fun."

What does "demorei para chegar" mean, and why is "demorar" used?

"Demorei para chegar" means "It took me a while to get there" or "I was late to arrive." The verb "demorar" refers to something taking a long time. So, you can use "demorar para fazer algo" to indicate that doing something took more time than expected.

Why does "uma cidade bonita" come before "para passear"?

In Portuguese, placing "uma cidade bonita" right after "Eu achei" emphasizes what you found before describing the purpose. The phrase "para passear" clarifies why the speaker found that city interesting—it’s not just a pretty city in general, but one to stroll around or to spend leisure time in.