Você acha que viajar de ônibus é pior do que ir de carro, ou é melhor?

Do you think traveling by bus is worse than going by car, or is it better?

Breakdown of Você acha que viajar de ônibus é pior do que ir de carro, ou é melhor?

• ser: to be
• você: you
• o carro: the car
• ou: or
• ir: to go
• melhor: better
• achar: to think
• que: that
• do que: than
• viajar: to travel
• o ônibus: the bus
• pior: worse
• de: by

Questions & Answers about Você acha que viajar de ônibus é pior do que ir de carro, ou é melhor?

Why do we say Você acha que instead of simply Você acha?

In Portuguese, it's very common to use que after verbs like achar (to think) or acreditar (to believe) to introduce a statement or idea. Technically, you could say Você acha viajar de ônibus é pior..., but it would sound abbreviated. The word que helps the sentence flow more naturally and is standard for expressing “Do you think that...?” in Portuguese.

Why do we use de ônibus instead of em ônibus?

In Portuguese, it’s standard to say viajar de ônibus, ir de carro, andar de bicicleta, etc., when talking about the means of transportation. We typically use de + mode of transport rather than em. For instance, viajar em um ônibus would be understood, but it’s not the natural, idiomatic way to say it.

How do pior and melhor work for comparisons?

Pior means “worse,” and it’s regularly used with do que to say “worse than.” Similarly, melhor means “better,” used with do que to say “better than.” In this sentence, pior do que ir de carro (“worse than going by car”) and melhor? (“or is it better?”) are contrasting degrees of comparison, making the listener think about which one is worse or better.

Why does the question end with ou é melhor? instead of using something like ou você acha que é melhor?

Portuguese often allows for shorter, more direct endings in questions. By asking ou é melhor?, the speaker is directly contrasting the two options (going by bus vs. going by car) without repeating yourself. You could say ou você acha que é melhor?, but it might feel slightly more lengthy or repetitive.

What’s the difference between viajar de ônibus and ir de carro in the same sentence?

There’s no strict grammatical difference in this pairing—both forms talk about traveling. Viajar de ônibus emphasizes the act of taking a trip by bus, while ir de carro focuses on going somewhere by car. You could say viajar de carro or ir de ônibus, and it would still make sense; the sentence just uses different phrases for variety.