Breakdown of No inverno, a gente quase sempre faz caldo de mandioca à noite.
de
of
a gente
we
sempre
always
fazer
to make
Questions & Answers about No inverno, a gente quase sempre faz caldo de mandioca à noite.
Why is it no inverno and not just em inverno?
No inverno is a contraction of em + o inverno.
- em = in
- o inverno = the winter
- em o inverno becomes no inverno
In Portuguese, this kind of contraction is very common:
- no verão = in the summer
- na primavera = in the spring
- no outono = in the fall/autumn
Portuguese usually prefers the article here, so no inverno sounds natural, while em inverno would not.
What does a gente mean here?
A gente literally means the people, but in everyday Brazilian Portuguese it very often means we.
So in this sentence, a gente = we.
It is extremely common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, often more common than nós in casual conversation.
Examples:
- A gente vai sair. = We’re going out.
- A gente gosta de sopa. = We like soup.
If a gente means we, why is the verb faz and not fazemos?