Breakdown of Às vezes, uma música pode inspirar muita emoção e fazer-nos parar para ouvir cada nota.
e
and
cada
every
ouvir
to listen
uma
a
muito
much
às vezes
sometimes
poder
to be able
fazer
to make
nos
us
a música
the song
inspirar
to inspire
a emoção
the emotion
parar
to stop
a nota
the note
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Questions & Answers about Às vezes, uma música pode inspirar muita emoção e fazer-nos parar para ouvir cada nota.
What does "Às vezes" mean, and how is it used in this sentence?
"Às vezes" translates to "sometimes" in English. It indicates that the action described (the music inspiring emotion and causing listeners to stop) doesn’t happen all the time but only occasionally, much like its English counterpart.
How does the construction "fazer-nos parar" work grammatically in this sentence?
In "fazer-nos parar", the base verb "fazer" means "to make" or "to cause". The attached pronoun "nos" stands for "us", and "parar" is the infinitive form of "to stop". Together, they form a causative structure that conveys that the music causes or makes us stop. This is a common way in Portuguese to indicate that one action leads to or causes another.
Why is there a hyphen in "fazer-nos", and is that typical in Portuguese?
The hyphen in "fazer-nos" is used because, in European Portuguese, when an object pronoun (here, "nos" meaning "us") is attached to a verb—in this case, "fazer"—a hyphen is placed between them. This is standard practice and helps clarify that the pronoun is an integral part of the verbal construction, indicating that it directly relates to the verb.
What does "muita emoção" signify, and why is it important in the context of the sentence?
"Muita emoção" means "a lot of emotion". It emphasizes that the music has an intense emotional impact on the listener. In this sentence, the strong emotional response is what leads to the second action—making us stop to listen more closely—thereby underscoring the powerful effect music can have.
How does "para ouvir cada nota" function in the sentence, and why is the preposition "para" used here?
"Para ouvir cada nota" translates to "to listen to each note." The preposition "para" indicates purpose or intent, much like "in order to" in English. It clarifies that the result of the emotional inspiration is that the music makes us stop so that we can listen attentively to every individual note.
How is the causative relationship expressed in this sentence, and what similarities does it have with English structures?
The causative relationship in the sentence is expressed by linking two actions: firstly, the music "inspires a lot of emotion"; secondly, it "makes us stop to listen to each note." The structure "pode inspirar... e fazer-nos parar" is similar to how we might say in English, "A piece of music can inspire strong emotion and cause us to stop to listen to every note." Both languages use a causative construction to show that one phenomenon (inspiration) leads directly to a subsequent reaction (stopping to listen).