Breakdown of Prefiro temperar a carne com alho e ervas antes de a cozinhar.
cozinhar
to cook
e
and
com
with
antes de
before
preferir
to prefer
a carne
the meat
temperar
to season
o alho
the garlic
a erva
the herb
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Questions & Answers about Prefiro temperar a carne com alho e ervas antes de a cozinhar.
What does the verb prefiro mean, and why is it used without an explicit subject?
Prefiro means “I prefer” in English. Portuguese often omits the subject because the verb's ending already indicates it’s in the first person singular, so it is understood to mean “I.”
What is the meaning of temperar and how is it applied in this sentence?
The verb temperar means “to season”. In the sentence, it describes the action of adding flavor to the meat, indicating that the speaker chooses to season the meat with garlic and herbs.
How should we understand the phrase a carne in this context?
The phrase a carne translates to “the meat”. It acts as the direct object of the verb temperar, showing what is being seasoned.
Why does the structure antes de a cozinhar include the article a before cozinhar?
In this sentence, a is a clitic pronoun that replaces a carne (the meat). When an infinitive follows a preposition—here de from antes de—Portuguese requires the object pronoun to appear before the infinitive. Hence, antes de a cozinhar effectively means “before cooking it.”
What does the phrase com alho e ervas signify in the sentence?
Com alho e ervas means “with garlic and herbs.” It specifies the ingredients used to season the meat.
Could the object pronoun been attached to the infinitive instead of preceding it?
No, it couldn’t. In Portuguese, when an infinitive is introduced by a preposition (in this case, de), the corresponding object pronoun must precede the infinitive. If the infinitive were not preceded by a preposition, you might see the pronoun attached (e.g., cozinhá-la), but here the rule dictates antes de a cozinhar.
How is the order of elements in this sentence similar to or different from English?
While both languages express the idea in a logical sequence, Portuguese often omits subjects and uses clitic pronouns that come before the verb in certain constructions. English would say “I prefer to season the meat with garlic and herbs before cooking it,” explicitly including the subject and using a different pronoun placement.
What is the overall meaning of the sentence in English, considering all its parts?
The complete sentence, Prefiro temperar a carne com alho e ervas antes de a cozinhar, translates to “I prefer to season the meat with garlic and herbs before cooking it.” It communicates the speaker’s preference for applying seasoning to the meat prior to cooking.