Breakdown of Preciso da chave agora, pois não consigo entrar sem ela.
agora
now
precisar de
to need
não
not
entrar
to enter
a chave
the key
pois
because
conseguir
to be able
sem
without
ela
it
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Questions & Answers about Preciso da chave agora, pois não consigo entrar sem ela.
What does “Preciso da chave agora, pois não consigo entrar sem ela.” mean in English?
It means “I need the key now, because I can’t get in without it.” In this sentence, “Preciso” translates to “I need,” “da chave” is a contraction meaning “of the key” (implying “the key”), “agora” means “now,” “pois” functions like “because,” and “não consigo entrar sem ela” means “I can’t get in without it.”
How is the contraction “da” formed and why is it used with “chave”?
“Da” is a contraction of the preposition de and the feminine definite article a. Because “chave” (key) is a feminine noun, using “da” instead of “de a” complies with Portuguese grammar rules to indicate “of the key” or simply “the key,” as required in the expression of need.
What role does the conjunction “pois” play in the sentence?
“Pois” acts as a conjunction equivalent to “because” or “since.” It links the main clause (“I need the key now”) to the explanation (“I can’t get in without it”), showing the cause-and-effect relationship between the two ideas.
How does the negation work in the phrase “não consigo entrar sem ela”?
In this phrase, “não” negates the verb “consigo” (I can). So “não consigo” means “I can’t” or “I’m not able to.” The verb “entrar” means “to enter,” and “sem ela” means “without it” (with “ela” referring to the key). Combined, the phrase translates to “I can’t get in without it.”
Why is the pronoun “ela” used in “sem ela” and what does it refer to?
“Ela” is used because in Portuguese, nouns have gender. Since “chave” (key) is a feminine noun, the pronoun referring back to it must also be feminine. Thus, “ela” stands in place of “a chave,” maintaining gender agreement in the sentence.
Why is there a comma before “pois” in the sentence?
The comma before “pois” separates the main clause (“Preciso da chave agora”) from the explanatory or reason clause (“pois não consigo entrar sem ela”). This punctuation helps clarify that the second part of the sentence explains why the action in the first part is necessary.