Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Assegura-te de descartar os papéis antigos, para manter o escritório organizado. - Make sure to discard the old papers to keep the office organized.

Assegura-te is the imperative form of assegurar for the informal second-person singular (tu). It means “make sure” or “ensure.” The reflexive pronoun te is attached because the construction used is assegurar-se de, which literally translates to “to assure oneself of,” and in this command form, it instructs the listener to ensure that a certain action is carried out.

How does the preposition de function in the phrase assegura-te de descartar?

In this context, de acts as a link between the imperative command and the action to be performed. The full construction assegurar-se de means “to make sure to” or “to ensure that.” Here, de connects assegura-te (make sure) with the infinitive descartar (to discard), forming a natural and idiomatic way to express the instruction.

What does descartar os papéis antigos mean in the sentence?

Descartar os papéis antigos translates to “discard the old papers.” The verb descartar means “to throw away” or “dispose of,” and os papéis antigos refers to “the old papers” (likely outdated or no longer needed documents).

What is the role of the clause para manter o escritório organizado?

The clause para manter o escritório organizado serves as a purpose clause. It translates to “in order to keep the office organized” and explains why the action of discarding the old papers should be performed. Essentially, it links the action to its intended outcome, emphasizing the importance of organization.

Why is there a comma before para manter o escritório organizado?

The comma is used to separate the main directive from the explaining purpose clause. It signals a brief pause, indicating that what follows provides the reason for the previous instruction. This punctuation helps clarify that “keeping the office organized” is the goal behind discarding the old papers.

Can you explain the overall structure of the sentence?

The sentence is structured into three parts:

Imperative Command – Assegura-te: Instructs the listener to “make sure.”
Action to be Performed – de descartar os papéis antigos: Specifies what must be done (i.e., discard the old papers). The preposition de links the command with the action.
Purpose Clause – para manter o escritório organizado: Explains the reason for the action, stating the desired outcome (“to keep the office organized”). This logical structure clearly communicates an instruction, the action required, and its purpose.