Breakdown of Paulo percebe que sua casa é mais bonita durante a manhã.
ser
to be
Paulo
Paulo
a casa
the house
a manhã
the morning
durante
during
que
that
perceber
to realize
mais bonito
more beautiful
sua
his
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Questions & Answers about Paulo percebe que sua casa é mais bonita durante a manhã.
Why is sua used here instead of something like dele?
In Brazilian Portuguese, sua casa directly refers back to Paulo’s own house, matching both number (singular) and person (third person). Using dele would also be understandable, but dele is often employed to emphasize possession when it might otherwise be ambiguous (or when we are talking about someone else’s possessions). In this particular sentence, sua feels more natural and concise.
Why do we use é mais bonita instead of está mais bonita?
É (from the verb ser) suggests a more permanent or general characteristic of the house—how it appears overall during the morning is understood as part of its character each day. If we said está mais bonita, it would imply a temporary state, as if something unusual made it nicer than normal on that specific morning.
Can we say Paulo percebe sua casa está mais bonita without que?
No. In Portuguese, when there is a clause after certain verbs (like perceber, achar, dizer, etc.), you need the conjunction que to connect the main verb to the subordinate clause. So you should keep Paulo percebe que sua casa é mais bonita....
Why durante a manhã instead of de manhã or pela manhã?
All three expressions convey the idea of "in the morning," but with slightly different nuances. Durante a manhã literally means "during the morning," emphasizing a duration or period of time. De manhã and pela manhã are more idiomatic ways to say "in the morning," often sounding more colloquial and general. Depending on style preference and context, any of them could be used to express a similar idea.
Why does bonita end in -a and not bonito?
In Portuguese, nouns and adjectives must match in gender. Casa is a feminine noun, so its adjective must also be feminine—bonita. If the subject were a masculine noun (like carro, “car”), you would say mais bonito in that context.
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