Breakdown of Tentei despistar o meu cão no parque, mas ele seguiu-me sempre.
meu
my
ele
he
mas
but
em
in
sempre
always
tentar
to try
me
me
o parque
the park
o cão
the dog
seguir
to follow
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Questions & Answers about Tentei despistar o meu cão no parque, mas ele seguiu-me sempre.
What does the verb despistar mean in this context?
Despistar means to mislead, throw off, or distract someone so they lose track. In the sentence, it implies that I tried to cause my dog to lose my trail while we were in the park.
Why is the object pronoun attached to the verb (as in seguiu-me) instead of appearing before it?
In European Portuguese, object pronouns are typically attached to the end of the verb (a practice known as enclisis) in declarative sentences. This is why the sentence uses seguiu-me rather than placing the pronoun before the verb (i.e., me seguiu).
Why is the definite article o used before meu cão instead of just saying meu cão?
In European Portuguese, it is common—and often required—to use a definite article with possessive adjectives. Hence, o meu cão translates to “my dog,” emphasizing the specific dog that belongs to the speaker.
What does the adverb sempre mean, and why is it placed at the end of the sentence?
Sempre means “always.” In Portuguese, adverbs of frequency like sempre are frequently positioned at the end of the sentence to clearly indicate that the action (in this case, following) occurred consistently.
How is the contraction no parque formed and why is it used?
No parque is formed by contracting em (meaning “in”) with o (meaning “the”), resulting in “no” and thereby expressing “in the park.” This contraction is a standard grammatical structure in Portuguese.
Why are the verbs tentei and seguiu in the simple past tense?
Both tentei (“I tried”) and seguiu (“followed”) are in the simple past (pretérito perfeito) to indicate completed actions. They show that the attempt to mislead the dog and the dog’s behavior of following happened at a specific time in the past.
What role does the comma before mas serve in this sentence?
The comma before mas separates two independent clauses that express contrasting actions. It clarifies that although I tried to mislead my dog, he always ended up following me.