Breakdown of Eu levanto-me cedo para tomar um duche antes de ir trabalhar.
eu
I
um
a
ir
to go
trabalhar
to work
cedo
early
para
to
antes de
before
levantar-se
to get up
tomar
to take
o duche
the shower
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Questions & Answers about Eu levanto-me cedo para tomar um duche antes de ir trabalhar.
What does levanto-me mean, and why is the reflexive pronoun attached to the verb with a hyphen?
Levanto-me comes from the verb levantar-se, which means “to get up.” The attached pronoun me indicates that the subject performs the action on itself—so the sentence translates as “I get up early.” In European Portuguese, it is common to attach the reflexive pronoun to the verb with a hyphen in affirmative sentences.
What does duche mean in this sentence, and how does it differ from similar terms in Brazilian Portuguese?
Duche means “shower” in Portuguese, specifically in the context of Portugal. In Brazilian Portuguese, however, people are more likely to use the word banho when referring to taking a shower.
How does the phrase para tomar um duche function grammatically in this sentence?
The phrase para tomar um duche expresses purpose. The word para means “in order to,” so it tells us that the speaker gets up early in order to take a shower. It links the action of getting up with its intended purpose.
What is the role of antes de ir trabalhar in this sentence?
Antes de ir trabalhar provides a temporal context, meaning “before going to work.” It indicates that the shower happens before the speaker leaves for work. The construction antes de + [infinitive] is commonly used in Portuguese to denote what happens prior to another action.
Could the subject pronoun Eu be omitted in this sentence, and if so, why?
Yes, the subject pronoun Eu can be omitted because the verb form levanto-me already clearly indicates the subject. Portuguese often drops explicit subject pronouns unless they are needed for emphasis, as the conjugation of the verb makes the subject clear.
How would this sentence typically be structured in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, the reflexive pronoun usually precedes the conjugated verb rather than being attached to the end. Therefore, the sentence would most often be rendered as Eu me levanto cedo para tomar um banho antes de ir trabalhar. Notice that duche is replaced by banho, which is more common in Brazil, and the placement of me comes before levanto.