Breakdown of Eu vou ganhar pouco dinheiro este mês, mas não é nada que me preocupe.
eu
I
ser
to be
ir
to go
mas
but
este
this
não
not
que
that
o dinheiro
the money
nada
nothing
ganhar
to earn
pouco
little
o mês
the month
me
me
preocupar
to worry
Questions & Answers about Eu vou ganhar pouco dinheiro este mês, mas não é nada que me preocupe.
What does "vou ganhar" mean and why is it used instead of a simple future tense form?
"Vou ganhar" translates literally to "I am going to earn". It uses the periphrastic future construction, where the present tense of "ir" (to go) is combined with the infinitive "ganhar" (to earn). This construction is very common in Portuguese to express a near future action without using the synthetic future tense.
How does the adjective "pouco" function in "pouco dinheiro", and does its placement affect the meaning?
In the phrase "pouco dinheiro", "pouco" is an adjective meaning "little" or "not much" and it modifies "dinheiro" (money). Its placement before the noun is typical in Portuguese when describing uncountable quantities, and it conveys the idea that only a small amount of money will be earned.
What is the purpose of "este mês" in the sentence?
"Este mês" means "this month" and specifies the time frame during which the action will take place. It tells the listener when the speaker expects to earn little money, giving the sentence a clear temporal context.
What does the phrase "mas não é nada que me preocupe" mean, and how is it structured grammatically?
The phrase "mas não é nada que me preocupe" means "but it is nothing that worries me." It serves to contrast the fact that even though the speaker will earn little money, it is not a cause for concern. Grammatically, it combines a negation ("não") with "nada" (nothing) followed by a relative clause ("que me preocupe"), where the verb is in the subjunctive mood due to the indefinite nature of the antecedent "nada".
Why is the subjunctive mood used in the clause "que me preocupe"?
The subjunctive mood is used in "que me preocupe" because the clause refers to an indefinite concept ("nada"). In Portuguese, when a relative clause describes something non-specific or hypothetical, the verb is typically placed in the subjunctive mood. This construction emphasizes that there isn’t any specific thing that worries the speaker.
Can "ganhar" mean both "to earn" and "to win", and how can I tell which is intended here?
Yes, "ganhar" can mean both "to win" and "to earn" depending on the context. In this sentence, the meaning is clarified by the noun "dinheiro" (money) that follows the verb, indicating that the speaker is referring to earning money rather than winning something.
Is there any difference between European and Brazilian Portuguese in using the construction "vou ganhar"?
Both European and Brazilian Portuguese use the construction "vou ganhar" to indicate a future action. While there might be minor differences in informal speech or regional intonation, the construction itself is standard and understood similarly in both variants of Portuguese.
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