Breakdown of Agora, durante o treinamento, quero ficar em segundo lugar.
o
the
agora
now
querer
to want
em
in
durante
during
o lugar
the place
ficar
to stay
segundo
second
treinamento
training
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Agora, durante o treinamento, quero ficar em segundo lugar.
Why is the subject pronoun eu omitted before quero?
Portuguese is a pro-drop language, which means the verb ending already tells you the subject. Quero is first-person singular, so adding eu is redundant and often dropped for a more natural flow.
Why are there commas around durante o treinamento?
The phrase durante o treinamento is an adverbial time expression treated here as a parenthetical/introductory element. The commas signal a slight pause, isolating that time frame (“now, during the training, …”).
Why do we use durante instead of enquanto?
Durante is a preposition that must be followed by a noun or noun phrase (o treinamento). Enquanto is a conjunction used to link two clauses (e.g. enquanto eu treino). Since the sentence has a noun phrase, durante is the correct choice.
Why is it ficar em segundo lugar rather than ficar segundo lugar or just ficar em segundo?
The preposition em is required to indicate “in” that position, and lugar (“place”) completes the idea of ranking. Omitting lugar might be understood colloquially (ficar em segundo), but ficar em segundo lugar is the full, standard expression.
Could you use chegar em segundo lugar instead of ficar em segundo lugar?
Yes. Chegar em segundo lugar literally means “to arrive in second place” and is common in sports/race contexts. Ficar em segundo lugar is more general—it works for any ranking or outcome, not only finishing a race.
Why is treinamento used instead of treino?
Both words mean “training,” but treino is more informal and refers to the act of training. Treinamento can imply a structured program or session and sounds slightly more formal. It’s mostly a stylistic choice.
Could the time phrase appear elsewhere, like Agora quero ficar em segundo lugar durante o treinamento?
Yes. Portuguese allows flexible placement of adverbial phrases. Starting with durante o treinamento emphasizes the time frame; placing it at the end keeps the focus on quero ficar em segundo lugar. Both orders are grammatically correct.