Breakdown of A música contrasta com o silêncio.
com
with
a música
the music
o silêncio
the silence
contrastar
to contrast
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Questions & Answers about A música contrasta com o silêncio.
Why is the preposition com used after contrasta?
In Portuguese, the verb contrastar is typically constructed with the preposition com to indicate what is being contrasted. This is similar to English, where we say “contrasts with.”
What does the verb contrasta mean, and what is its grammatical form in this sentence?
Contrasta is the third-person singular present form of the verb contrastar, which means to contrast. It shows that the subject (the music) is actively setting itself in opposition to the silence.
How do the definite articles A and o function in this sentence?
The article A agrees with the feminine noun música, and o agrees with the masculine noun silêncio. These definite articles help specify the particular instances of music and silence being referred to, much like the English word “the.”
How does the structure of this Portuguese sentence compare to its English equivalent?
The sentence follows a similar Subject-Verb-Prepositional Object order as in English. In Portuguese, A música (subject) comes first, followed by contrasta (verb), and then com o silêncio (prepositional phrase), much like “The music contrasts with the silence.”
Can contrastar be used with any other prepositions, or is com always required?
For expressing a contrast between two elements, contrastar is generally used with com. This mirrors the English expression “contrasts with.” While different prepositions might appear in more complex constructions, com is the standard choice when directly contrasting one element with another.