Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O Pedro tende a ignorar as recomendações, mas depois arrepende‑se. - Pedro tends to ignore the recommendations, but then he regrets it.

Tende a translates to “tends to” in English. It indicates that Pedro has a habit or a general tendency to perform the action. In Portuguese, when expressing a tendency, the verb tender a is followed by an infinitive—in this case, ignorar (to ignore)—just like in the English construction “tends to ignore.”

Why is the verb arrepender-se used with the reflexive pronoun ‑se, and why is it hyphenated in the sentence?

Arrepender-se is a reflexive verb, meaning that the action of regretting is directed back toward the subject—Pedro regrets his own behavior. The reflexive pronoun ‑se is attached to the verb to indicate that the subject both performs and experiences the action. In affirmative sentences in European Portuguese, this pronoun is commonly linked directly to the end of the conjugated verb with a hyphen, resulting in arrepende‑se.

Why does the sentence begin with O Pedro instead of just Pedro, given that English names rarely use an article?

In European Portuguese, it is customary to use the definite article before masculine first names. So, O Pedro is the standard way to refer to Pedro in many contexts, especially in informal speech and writing. Although English typically omits the article when using someone's name, Portuguese retains it as part of its natural style.

How does the structure tende a ignorar as recomendações work grammatically, particularly with the infinitive ignorar?

After the construction tender a (meaning “to tend to”), the following verb is always in the infinitive form. Here, ignorar (to ignore) is in its base, unconjugated form. This pattern expresses that Pedro habitually or naturally performs the action of ignoring recommendations, similar to how English uses “tends to ignore.”

What is the purpose of mas depois in the sentence, and why is a comma used before it?

Mas means “but,” introducing a contrast between two ideas. Depois (later) provides a time cue, indicating that the act of regretting comes after the act of ignoring the recommendations. The comma before mas is used to separate the two independent clauses, clarifying that first Pedro tends to ignore recommendations and then, subsequently, he regrets his decision.