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Antes de trabalhar, tu deves ler o regulamento.

Antes de trabalhar, tu deves ler o regulamento.
Before working, you must read the regulation.
FromLesson 10inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Antes de trabalhar, tu deves ler o regulamento.

tu
you
ler
to read
trabalhar
to work
antes de
before
o regulamento
the regulation

Questions & Answers about Antes de trabalhar, tu deves ler o regulamento.

What does Antes de trabalhar mean in this sentence?
It translates to "Before working," indicating that the action which follows should occur prior to beginning work.
Why is the pronoun tu used instead of something like você?
In European Portuguese, tu is the familiar second-person singular pronoun. Its use here lends an informal or friendly tone. In contrast, você is more common in Brazilian Portuguese or in different formal contexts.
How is the verb deves used, and what does it imply?
Deves is the second-person singular present form of the verb dever, which means "must" or "should." It expresses an obligation or recommendation directed at the person addressed by tu.
What does o regulamento refer to in this context?
O regulamento means "the regulation" or "the set of rules." It refers to the guidelines or rules that one is expected to read before starting work.
Why is there a comma after trabalhar in the sentence?
The comma separates the introductory phrase Antes de trabalhar from the main clause. This punctuation clarifies that the recommendation to read the regulation is conditional on the period before beginning work.
Why is the infinitive form trabalhar used after antes de?
In Portuguese, when using prepositional phrases like antes de ("before"), the verb that follows must be in its infinitive form. This construction is equivalent to the English gerund form in expressions like "before working."
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