Breakdown of Perdi a minha borracha, por isso não posso corrigir os meus apontamentos à mão.
minha
my
meu
my
perder
to lose
não
not
poder
to be able
por isso
so
corrigir
to correct
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Perdi a minha borracha, por isso não posso corrigir os meus apontamentos à mão.
What does perdi mean in this sentence, and why is no subject pronoun used?
Perdi is the first-person singular preterite form of the verb perder (to lose), meaning I lost. In Portuguese, the subject pronoun (eu) is often omitted because the verb ending already indicates the subject.
What is the meaning of borracha here, and why does it use the feminine article a?
In Portugal, borracha means eraser rather than rubber. It is a feminine noun, which is why it is preceded by the feminine article a in a minha borracha (my eraser).
Why is possession expressed as a minha borracha instead of simply minha borracha?
In European Portuguese, it is common to include the definite article with possessive adjectives. The form a minha borracha emphasizes that the eraser belongs to the speaker. This construction is typical in Portuguese, differing from English where we simply say my eraser.
What function does the phrase por isso serve in the sentence?
Por isso means therefore or that's why. It connects the two clauses by showing a cause-and-effect relationship: because the eraser was lost, the speaker cannot correct the notes by hand.
What does apontamentos refer to in this context?
Apontamentos translates to notes (often class or study notes). The phrase os meus apontamentos means my notes. It refers to the written materials the speaker would normally use for correcting their work.
How should we understand the expression à mão, and why is there an accent mark?
À mão means by hand. The accent on à indicates the contraction of the preposition a with the feminine article a (resulting in à). This expression specifies that the correction of the notes would be done manually rather than by some other method.
Why is there a comma before por isso in this sentence?
The comma separates two independent clauses. The first clause Perdi a minha borracha (I lost my eraser) is followed by por isso não posso corrigir os meus apontamentos à mão (therefore I cannot correct my notes by hand), clarifying the cause-and-effect relationship between losing the eraser and being unable to correct the notes manually.