Breakdown of Às vezes, sonhar com o futuro nos dá motivação.
o
the
às vezes
sometimes
sonhar com
to dream about
futuro
future
nos
us
dar
to give
a motivação
the motivation
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Questions & Answers about Às vezes, sonhar com o futuro nos dá motivação.
What does Às vezes mean, and why is it placed at the beginning of the sentence?
Às vezes translates to "sometimes" in English. It is an adverbial phrase used to indicate that the action happens occasionally rather than constantly. Placing it at the beginning of the sentence sets the temporal context for what follows.
Why does the verb sonhar require the preposition com?
In Portuguese, when expressing the object of a dream, the verb sonhar is naturally paired with the preposition com. Thus, sonhar com o futuro means "to dream about the future". The preposition links the act of dreaming to the specific subject—o futuro (the future).
What role does the pronoun nos play in this sentence?
The pronoun nos means "us" and serves as an indirect object here. It indicates that the action of dreaming about the future provides motivation to us. In Portuguese, clitic pronouns like nos are typically positioned before the main verb, which in this case is dá.
Why is the verb dá conjugated in the singular form even though nos (us) is mentioned?
The subject of the sentence is the entire action expressed by the infinitive phrase sonhar com o futuro. This phrase is treated as a singular, abstract concept, so the verb dar is conjugated as dá in the third person singular. The pronoun nos functions as an indirect object and does not affect the subject-verb agreement.
How does the sentence structure compare to English, and what should I note about the word order?
The structure is quite typical in Portuguese. Similar to English, the sentence starts with an adverbial phrase (Às vezes / sometimes), but Portuguese requires the clitic pronoun nos to come before the verb (dá). In English, we might say, "Sometimes, dreaming about the future gives us motivation," where pronoun placement and word order differ from Portuguese. Recognizing these differences helps in mastering natural and grammatically correct Portuguese expression.