O detalhe é importante para entender tudo.

The detail is important to understand everything.

Breakdown of O detalhe é importante para entender tudo.

• ser: to be
• entender: to understand
• para: for
• importante: important
• tudo: everything
• o detalhe: the detail

Questions & Answers about O detalhe é importante para entender tudo.

Why does the sentence use O detalhe instead of Um detalhe?

The article o indicates we're talking about a specific detail, rather than just any random detail. In Portuguese, using the definite article emphasizes that this is a particular detail that’s crucial in the context.

Why is it é and not está?

In Portuguese, é (from the verb ser) often describes inherent or defining characteristics. Saying O detalhe é importante means "The detail is inherently important." If you used está, it would suggest a temporary state, which is not the intended meaning here.

Why do we use para in para entender tudo instead of por?

Para generally expresses purpose or destination (similar to "in order to" in English). Here, para entender tudo means the purpose or goal of grasping the entire context. Por has other uses—time duration, cause, means—but would sound less natural in this purpose-based phrasing.

Why is the verb in the infinitive form entender and not conjugated?

After prepositions like para, Portuguese often uses the infinitive to express an action in a general sense (similar to "in order to understand"). Conjugating the verb right after para isn’t typical in Brazilian Portuguese unless you use a personal infinitive to emphasize a specific subject.

Could we say O detalhe é importante para tudo without entender?

You could, but it changes the meaning. Para entender tudo clarifies that the detail is important specifically for understanding everything. Removing entender would imply the detail is important for "everything" in a broader or more ambiguous sense.

Can we rearrange the word order, for example, Para entender tudo, o detalhe é importante?

Yes. Portuguese word order is somewhat flexible. Para entender tudo, o detalhe é importante simply front-loads the purpose (para entender tudo) before telling us what is important. It remains grammatically correct and conveys the same core meaning.