Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Talvez te surpreendas ao ver que cantar todos os dias te ajuda a superar a ansiedade. - You may be surprised to see that singing every day helps you overcome anxiety.

In Portuguese, words like talvez (meaning “maybe”) express uncertainty or possibility. This uncertainty triggers the use of the subjunctive mood. Here, surpreendas is the second-person singular subjunctive form of surpreender, indicating that the outcome (being surprised) isn’t definite.

What role does the pronoun te play in this sentence?

The pronoun te is an informal object pronoun equivalent to “you.” It appears twice: first in te surpreendas (implying “you might be surprised”) and again in te ajuda (meaning “helps you”). Its position before the verb is typical in European Portuguese when using clitic pronouns.

How does the construction ao ver function within the sentence?

The phrase ao ver literally means “upon seeing” or “when you see.” It’s a contraction of the preposition a and the article o placed before the verb ver. It introduces the circumstance that leads to the surprise mentioned in the first part of the sentence.

Why is the infinitive cantar used here, and what grammatical role does it play?

In Portuguese, the infinitive can function similarly to a noun. In this sentence, cantar (meaning “to sing”) serves as the subject of the clause cantar todos os dias te ajuda a superar a ansiedade, indicating that the act of singing every day is what helps in overcoming anxiety.

Why is ajuda conjugated in the third-person singular form even though it might seem to refer to a repeated action?

The subject of ajuda is the entire activity described by cantar todos os dias. Although this phrase refers to a habitual or repeated action, it is treated as a single abstract concept. Therefore, the verb is correctly conjugated in the third-person singular form to agree with that singular subject.

Why is there a preposition a before the infinitive superar in the phrase te ajuda a superar a ansiedade?

In Portuguese, when the verb ajudar (to help) is followed by an infinitive, it is customary to include the preposition a. This preposition links the helping action to its objective, resulting in the phrase ajuda a superar, which means “helps (you) overcome.”