Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Tu vestes-te rapidamente, mas ainda pareces confortável. - You dress quickly, but you still seem comfortable.

“Vestir-se” is a reflexive verb that means “to dress oneself.” In this sentence, “vestes” is the second person singular present tense of “vestir,” and the reflexive pronoun “te” is attached to the end to indicate that the subject (“tu”) is performing the action on itself. This clitic placement is typical in affirmative European Portuguese sentences.

What function does the adverb “rapidamente” serve in the sentence?

“Rapidamente” is an adverb meaning “quickly.” It modifies the verb “vestes-te” by describing the manner in which the action of dressing occurs. Essentially, it tells us that the dressing happened quickly.

What does the verb “pareces” mean, and how is it conjugated in this context?

“Pareces” is the second person singular present indicative form of the verb “parecer,” which means “to seem” or “to appear.” In the sentence, “pareces confortável” translates to “you seem comfortable,” indicating the state or appearance of the subject after dressing.

Why is there a comma before “mas” in the sentence?

The comma separates two independent clauses. The sentence consists of “tu vestes-te rapidamente” and “ainda pareces confortável,” which are connected by the coordinating conjunction “mas” (but) to show contrast. The comma clarifies the structure and aids in readability.

How would this sentence typically be expressed in Brazilian Portuguese?

In Brazilian Portuguese, the informal second person singular “tu” is less common and is usually replaced by “você.” The sentence would then be written as “Você se veste rapidamente, mas ainda parece confortável.” Notice that the reflexive pronoun changes to “se” and is placed before the verb, and the verb “parece” is conjugated in the third person singular to agree with “você.”