Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu decidia sempre levar o meu guarda-chuva, pois nunca confiava no tempo. - I always decided to take my umbrella, because I never trusted the weather.

Both decidia and confiava are in the imperfect tense. This tense is used to describe habitual actions or recurring states in the past. In the sentence, it conveys that the speaker routinely decided to take the umbrella and consistently did not trust the weather, indicating an ongoing behavior or feeling rather than a single, completed event.

What does pois mean, and how does its usage differ from porque in Portuguese?

Pois functions as a conjunction meaning "because" or "since". While both pois and porque can introduce reason or explanation, pois is often used in written or slightly more formal speech to connect ideas in a way that emphasizes explanation. Porque is more common in everyday conversational contexts.

How is the adverb sempre positioned in the sentence, and what effect does this placement have?

Sempre, meaning "always," is placed immediately after the verb decidia. This placement highlights that the action of deciding was done habitually. By positioning sempre close to decidia, the sentence emphasizes the regularity and consistency with which the speaker chose to take the umbrella.

What does the compound word guarda-chuva mean, and what is notable about its formation?

Guarda-chuva translates to "umbrella." The word is a compound formed from "guarda" (meaning "to guard" or "protect") and "chuva" (meaning "rain"), literally describing an object that guards against rain. Its formation succinctly illustrates the purpose of the object, which aligns with its common usage in Portuguese.

Why does the sentence include the possessive "o meu" before guarda-chuva, and what does it add to the meaning?

Including "o meu" (meaning "my") before guarda-chuva personalizes the sentence by indicating that the umbrella belongs to the speaker. This possessive pronoun clarifies ownership and helps convey that the speaker is referring specifically to their own habitual behavior regarding their umbrella, rather than speaking in general terms.

In the phrase "pois nunca confiava no tempo," what does tempo refer to, and how do we know this?

In this context, tempo refers to "the weather." Although tempo can mean "time" in other contexts, the surrounding context—specifically the mention of an umbrella and the lack of trust—makes it clear that the speaker is talking about unpredictable or unreliable weather conditions. The logical connection between carrying an umbrella and concerns about the weather directs the interpretation toward meteorological conditions rather than the abstract concept of time.