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Ele finge entender tudo, mas às vezes pede ajuda.

Ele finge entender tudo, mas às vezes pede ajuda.
He pretends to understand everything, but sometimes he asks for help.
FromLesson 10inHardcore Portuguese (Brazil)
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Questions & Answers about Ele finge entender tudo, mas às vezes pede ajuda.

What does finge come from and how is it conjugated?

finge is the third-person singular (ele/ela) form of the verb fingir, which means to pretend. In the present tense it goes:
• eu finjo
• tu finges
• ele/ela finge
• nós fingimos
• vós fingis
• eles/elas fingem
Note the orthographic change in the first person: finjo (not fingo) to keep the /ʒ/ sound before -o.

Why is fingir directly followed by the infinitive entender instead of using que?
In Portuguese, many verbs of intention or attitude (like fingir, começar, continuar) can be followed by another verb in the infinitive without que. So fingir entender tudo literally means to pretend to understand everything. You could also use a clause with que—e.g. fingir que entende tudo—but then you introduce a subordinate clause (often with subjunctive, especially in more formal registers: fingir que entenda tudo).
What’s the difference between tudo and todas as coisas?
Both expressions mean everything. tudo is a single pronoun and is more idiomatic: entender tudo = understand everything. Saying entender todas as coisas is grammatically correct but more wordy and less common in everyday speech.
Why is there a grave accent in às vezes?
às vezes is a contraction of the preposition a + the plural definite article as, yielding às (hence the grave accent). vezes is the plural of vez (= occasion). Together, às vezes means sometimes. Writing as vezes without the accent would be incorrect here.
Can I start a sentence with às vezes?
Yes. You can write Às vezes ele finge entender tudo. A comma after the adverbial phrase is optional but common: Às vezes, ele finge entender tudo.
Why is there a comma before mas?

In Portuguese, when mas (= but) connects two independent clauses, you normally put a comma before it:
Ele finge entender tudo, mas às vezes pede ajuda.
Omitting the comma isn’t fatal, but standard punctuation calls for it.

Why do we say pede ajuda and not pede por ajuda?
The verb pedir in Portuguese is transitive and takes a direct object: you pedir algo. So you pede ajuda (ask for help) without adding por. Using pede por ajuda is a calque from English “ask for help” and is not standard in Brazilian Portuguese.
Why is there no article before ajuda in pede ajuda?
Here ajuda is an uncountable noun meaning help in a general sense, so no article is needed. If you specify whose help you want, you can use the article plus a possessive or prepositional phrase: pede a ajuda do professor (asks for the teacher’s help).