Breakdown of Sem revisar a gramática, fica difícil escrever uma redação clara.
uma
a
escrever
to write
sem
without
ficar
to become
Questions & Answers about Sem revisar a gramática, fica difícil escrever uma redação clara.
Why does sem revisar mean without reviewing?
In Portuguese, sem can be followed by an infinitive to mean without doing something.
- sem = without
- revisar = to review / to check
So:
- Sem revisar a gramática = Without reviewing the grammar
This is a very common structure in Portuguese:
- Sem estudar, fica difícil passar. = Without studying, it becomes hard to pass.
- Sem dormir bem, fica difícil trabalhar. = Without sleeping well, it becomes hard to work.
Why is it revisar and not revisando?
After sem, Portuguese usually uses the infinitive, not the gerund, when you mean without doing something in a general way.
So the natural form is:
- sem revisar
not usually:
- sem revisando
For an English speaker, it may feel like without reviewing should use a form like reviewing, but Portuguese works differently here. The infinitive is the normal choice.
What does fica difícil literally mean?