Word
Espera, a menos que as luzes parem de piscar.
Meaning
Wait unless the lights stop flickering.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Breakdown of Espera, a menos que as luzes parem de piscar.
esperar
to wait
o
the
a luz
the light
parar de
to stop
Questions & Answers about Espera, a menos que as luzes parem de piscar.
Why is it espera and not espere?
Espera is the informal singular imperative of esperar — the form you use when telling one person that you know well to wait.
- espera = wait! (to one person, informal — *tu)*
- espere = wait! (formal singular — *você/o senhor/a senhora)*
- esperem = wait! (plural, formal or standard plural command)
So Espera here sounds like Wait! said directly to one person in an informal way.
Why is there no subject, like tu espera?
In Portuguese, subject pronouns are often left out when the verb already makes the subject clear.
So instead of saying:
- Tu espera
Portuguese normally just says:
- Espera
The verb form already shows that this is a command directed at you. This is very natural in Portuguese.
What does a menos que mean, and how is it used?