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Às vezes, a criança adora girar até ficar tonta, mas depois quer lanchar de imediato.

Às vezes, a criança adora girar até ficar tonta, mas depois quer lanchar de imediato.
Sometimes the child loves spinning until she’s dizzy, but then she wants to snack right away.
FromLesson 19inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Às vezes, a criança adora girar até ficar tonta, mas depois quer lanchar de imediato.

querer
to want
mas
but
até
until
depois
then
a criança
the child
às vezes
sometimes
ficar
to become
girar
to spin
adorar
to love
tonto
dizzy
de imediato
right away

Questions & Answers about Às vezes, a criança adora girar até ficar tonta, mas depois quer lanchar de imediato.

What does Às vezes mean, and why is it placed at the beginning of the sentence?
Às vezes translates to sometimes in English. It serves as an adverbial phrase that indicates the action happens on occasion rather than all the time.
How do you interpret the phrase girar até ficar tonta?
girar até ficar tonta means to spin until getting dizzy. The word até functions like until, signaling that the spinning continues up to the point where the child becomes dizzy, with ficar tonta meaning to become dizzy.
Why is the adjective tonta in the feminine form, even if the child's actual gender might differ?
In Portuguese, the noun criança is grammatically feminine regardless of whether the child is a boy or a girl. Therefore, any adjectives and articles referring to criança, like tonta, must also be in the feminine form.
What does lanchar de imediato mean, and how is it distinct from other meal-related verbs like almoçar or jantar?
lanchar de imediato means to have a snack immediately. The verb lanchar is used for eating a light meal or snack, as opposed to almoçar (to have lunch) or jantar (to have dinner). The addition of de imediato emphasizes that the snack is taken right away after spinning.
How do the expressions mas depois and de imediato work together in this sentence?
mas depois translates to but afterward, introducing a contrasting clause that marks a shift in the sequence of actions. de imediato means immediately, indicating that the act of snacking happens right after spinning. Together, they clarify the order of events and highlight the contrast between the two actions.
Why are the verbs adora and quer conjugated in the third person singular in this context?
Both adora (loves) and quer (wants) are conjugated in the third person singular to agree with the subject a criança, which is treated as a singular noun. In Portuguese, verb conjugations must match the subject, hence the use of the singular form.
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