Breakdown of No parque, as crianças ainda brincam quando o vento está forte.
estar
to be
quando
when
a criança
the child
no
in the
brincar
to play
o vento
the wind
o parque
the park
ainda
still
forte
strong
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Questions & Answers about No parque, as crianças ainda brincam quando o vento está forte.
Why is it no parque instead of em o parque?
In Portuguese, the preposition em contracts with the definite article:
- em + o → no
- em + a → na So no parque is simply em o parque spoken/written as one word.
Why do we say as crianças? Why include the article?
Portuguese often uses definite articles before nouns. Here:
- crianças is feminine and plural
- The definite article for feminine plural is as
Hence as crianças = “the children.”
What does ainda mean, and why is it placed before brincam?
- ainda means still
- It indicates that an action continues up to the present
- It most commonly appears before the main verb (ainda brincam), though you could also say brincam ainda for emphasis or poetic effect.
Could we say as crianças ainda estão brincando instead of ainda brincam?
Yes. Brazilian Portuguese often uses the progressive with estar + gerúndio to stress ongoing action:
- as crianças ainda brincam (simple present, implies they still play)
- as crianças ainda estão brincando (present continuous, they are still playing right now)
Both are correct; the gerund form is more vivid about the ongoing nature.
Why is it o vento está forte (using estar) and not é forte (using ser)?
- ser describes permanent or defining characteristics
- estar describes temporary states or conditions
Since wind strength is a temporary condition, we use estar: o vento está forte = “the wind is strong (right now).”
How does quando function in this sentence? Is it just like the English when?
Yes. quando introduces a temporal clause that specifies when something happens. Here it connects two real events, so it takes the indicative:
- quando o vento está forte = “when the wind is strong”
Can we reorder the clauses, for example: Quando o vento está forte, as crianças ainda brincam no parque?
Absolutely. Portuguese allows flexibility with adverbial clauses:
- No parque, as crianças ainda brincam quando o vento está forte.
- Quando o vento está forte, as crianças ainda brincam no parque.
Both sentences mean the same; you’re just shifting which part you mention first.