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Questions & Answers about Correr cansa-me.
Why isn’t there an explicit subject in the sentence “Correr cansa‐me”?
In Portuguese, it’s common to use an infinitive as a noun to denote a general activity. Here, correr (“to run”) functions as the subject, so there’s no need for an additional subject pronoun.
What is the literal translation of “Correr cansa‐me” into English?
It literally translates to “Running tires me.” The sentence conveys that the activity of running makes one tired.
Why is the object pronoun me attached to the end of the verb instead of coming before it?
In European Portuguese, when you have an affirmative sentence with a simple verb, clitic pronouns are typically placed after the verb—this is known as enclisis. In other contexts, such as negative sentences, the pronoun might appear before the verb (proclisis).
Why is the infinitive correr used as the subject instead of a gerund like “running” in English?
Portuguese commonly uses the infinitive form to express general activities or ideas. While English prefers the gerund (“running”) in such contexts, Portuguese treats the infinitive (correr) as a nominal form functioning as the subject.
How is the verb cansar being conjugated in this sentence?
The verb cansar is conjugated in the third-person singular form (cansa) to agree with its subject, which is the singular activity correr. Even though correr is in the infinitive form, it acts as a singular noun here.
Would this sentence be structured differently in Brazilian Portuguese?
Yes, it could be. In Brazilian Portuguese, it is common to place the clitic pronoun before the verb. So a Brazilian speaker might say “Correr me cansa” instead of the European Portuguese “Correr cansa‐me”.