Questions & Answers about A dentista pediu que eu abrisse bem a boca e não mexesse o queixo.
Why is it a dentista and not o dentista?
Because the sentence is referring to a female dentist.
In Brazilian Portuguese, many profession words can be used with o for a man and a for a woman:
- o dentista = the male dentist
- a dentista = the female dentist
The noun dentista itself does not change form here; the article shows the gender.
Why does the sentence use pediu que?
Why are abrisse and mexesse used instead of abri or abria?
Because after pediu que, Portuguese requires the subjunctive, not the indicative.
Here, abrisse and mexesse are in the imperfect subjunctive.
Why imperfect subjunctive?
Because the main verb is in the past:
- A dentista pediu... = The dentist asked...
- so the requested action is expressed with abrisse / mexesse
This is a very common pattern:
- Ela pede que eu abra a boca. = She asks that I open my mouth.
- Ela pediu que eu abrisse a boca. = She asked that I open my mouth.
So the tense shifts like this:
- present main verb → present subjunctive
- past main verb → imperfect subjunctive
Could you also say A dentista pediu para eu abrir...?
Yes. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, pediu para eu abrir a boca is very common and natural.
So these are both possible:
- A dentista pediu que eu abrisse...
- A dentista pediu para eu abrir...
The version with que + subjunctive often sounds a bit more formal or more traditionally grammatical, while para + infinitive is very common in speech.
Why is eu included in que eu abrisse?
Because Portuguese often includes the subject pronoun when it helps make the sentence clear.
Here it matters because the person asking and the person doing the action are different:
- A dentista = the one who asked
- eu = the one who should open the mouth
So que eu abrisse clearly means that I should open.
If you removed eu, the sentence would sound incomplete or unclear here.
Why is there no second que eu before não mexesse o queixo?
Because the subject is still the same: eu.
So after e, Portuguese can simply continue with another verb in the same form:
This means:
- she asked that I open my mouth wide
- and that I not move my chin
Portuguese often avoids repeating words when the subject is already clear.
A more expanded version would be:
- A dentista pediu que eu abrisse bem a boca e que eu não mexesse o queixo.
That is grammatically fine too, but less economical.
What does bem mean in abrisse bem a boca?
Here bem does not mean well in the usual sense. It works more like an intensifier.
Abrir bem a boca means:
- open your mouth wide
- open your mouth really well
So bem emphasizes that the mouth should be opened fully.
This is a very common use of bem in Brazilian Portuguese.
Why does Portuguese say a boca and o queixo instead of minha boca and meu queixo?
Portuguese often uses the definite article with body parts when it is already obvious whose body part is meant.
So instead of saying:
- minha boca
- meu queixo
Portuguese naturally says:
- a boca
- o queixo
Because from the context, it is clear that the dentist is talking about your mouth and your chin.
This is very common in Portuguese:
- Lave as mãos. = Wash your hands.
- Feche os olhos. = Close your eyes.
- Levante a cabeça. = Raise your head.
English usually prefers the possessive; Portuguese often prefers the article.
What exactly does mexer o queixo mean?
Why is it mexesse o queixo and not mexesse no queixo?
How are abrisse and mexesse formed?
They are both imperfect subjunctive forms.
A useful way to form this tense is from the third-person plural preterite:
- abrir → abriram → remove -ram → abri- → abrisse
- mexer → mexeram → remove -ram → mexe- → mexesse
Full forms:
For abrir:
For mexer:
- eu mexesse
- você/ele/ela mexesse
- nós mexêssemos
- vocês/eles/elas mexessem
This tense is extremely common after past-tense verbs like pediu, queria, esperava, and so on.
Is this sentence formal, natural, or both?
It is natural and correct, but it sounds a little more structured or formal than casual everyday speech.
A very conversational Brazilian Portuguese version might be:
The original version:
- A dentista pediu que eu abrisse bem a boca e não mexesse o queixo.
is also perfectly natural, especially in writing or in more careful speech.
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