Breakdown of Primeiro eu respondo as perguntas, depois fico quieto para revisar.
eu
I
para
to
depois
then
as
the
ficar
to stay
primeiro
first
a pergunta
the question
responder
to answer
quieto
quiet
revisar
to review
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Questions & Answers about Primeiro eu respondo as perguntas, depois fico quieto para revisar.
Why is Primeiro placed at the beginning of the sentence? Could I say Eu respondo primeiro as perguntas instead?
Yes. Leading with Primeiro emphasizes the sequence (“First…”). Saying Eu respondo primeiro as perguntas is equally correct; it just shifts the emphasis to the verb.
Is the subject pronoun eu necessary in Primeiro eu respondo?
No. Portuguese verbs indicate person and number through their endings. Respondo already means “I answer,” so you can omit eu if context is clear: Primeiro respondo as perguntas.
Why do we say as perguntas instead of simply perguntas?
Portuguese commonly uses definite articles before nouns, even in general statements. As perguntas literally means “the questions,” but here it refers to questions in general. Respondo perguntas sounds less natural or suggests answering some unspecified questions.
Why isn’t there an a before as perguntas (i.e., respondo às perguntas)?
In Brazilian Portuguese, responder often acts as a direct transitive verb, so you drop the preposition: respondo as perguntas. In European Portuguese, you’d more often see respondo às perguntas (responder a + article).
Why is the present tense respondo used when the actions seem like they’ll happen soon?
Brazilian Portuguese frequently uses the simple present to describe scheduled or sequential near-future actions—much like English “I answer the questions, then I stay quiet.” A future sense is implied by context.
What role does depois play here? Why isn’t it depois de?
Here, depois is an adverb meaning “then” or “afterward.” It connects two clauses: Primeiro respondo as perguntas, depois fico quieto… You’d use depois de only before a noun or gerund (e.g., depois de estudar).
Why is fico quieto used instead of fico em silêncio?
Both are correct. Ficar quieto (“to stay quiet”) is more colloquial; ficar em silêncio (“to stay in silence”) is slightly more formal or emphatic.
Why is quieto in the masculine form? What if the speaker is female?
Adjectives agree in gender and number with their subjects. Quieto is masculine singular. A female speaker would say fico quieta in the first person.
What does para revisar mean? Can I say pra revisar?
Para revisar means “in order to review.” In informal Brazilian Portuguese, para often contracts to pra, so depois fico quieto pra revisar is very common in speech.
Can I replace depois with então or add e before depois?
Yes. Então fico quieto para revisar (“Then I stay quiet to review”) or e depois fico quieto para revisar (“and then I stay quiet…”) are both natural ways to sequence the actions.