Breakdown of Apesar de já ter lavado e secado o chão, o Pedro acabou de o sujar outra vez.
Pedro
Pedro
e
and
acabar de
to have just
já
already
lavar
to wash
secar
to dry
o
it
o chão
the floor
apesar de
even though
sujar
to dirty
outra vez
again
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Questions & Answers about Apesar de já ter lavado e secado o chão, o Pedro acabou de o sujar outra vez.
What does "apesar de" mean, and how is it used in this sentence?
"Apesar de" translates to "despite" or "in spite of". It introduces a contrast between two facts—in this case, even though the floor had already been washed and dried, another action occurred.
What role does "já" play in the phrase "já ter lavado e secado o chão"?
"Já" means "already". It emphasizes that the actions of washing ("lavado") and drying ("secado") the floor were completed before what happened next, setting a clear contrast with the subsequent event.
How does the construction "acabou de" function in this sentence?
The phrase "acabou de" is used to indicate that an action has just occurred. In this context, it means that Pedro "just" dirtied the floor again right after it had been cleaned.
Why is the object pronoun "o" placed before the infinitive "sujar" in "acabou de o sujar"?
In Portuguese, object pronouns like "o" (referring to "o chão" – "the floor") are typically placed before the infinitive verb in compound verb constructions. This placement follows the language's clitic pronoun rules.
What does "outra vez" add to the meaning of the sentence?
"Outra vez" means "again". It emphasizes that the action of dirtying the floor has been repeated, underscoring that despite it’s been cleaned, the floor ended up dirty once more.