Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Quando a borboleta entrou pela janela, a estrela mais brilhante já se via no céu. - When the butterfly came in through the window, the brightest star was already visible in the sky.

Pela is the contraction of the preposition por + the feminine singular article a, so entrou pela janela literally means entered through the window.

Why is entrou used instead of entrava?

Entrou is the pretérito perfeito (simple past) of entrar, indicating a single, completed action (“the butterfly entered”). Entrava is the imperfeito, used for habitual or ongoing past actions (“used to enter” or “was entering”), which doesn’t fit this one‑time event.

What tense is via in já se via no céu, and why is it used here?

Via is the pretérito imperfeito of ver, describing a past ongoing state (“one could see”). It’s used to show that the brightest star was already visible (an ongoing situation) when the butterfly entered.

Why combine a perfective tense (entrou) with an imperfective one (via) in the same sentence?

This is common in narrative: the imperfect (via) sets the background state (“the star was shining”), and the perfective (entrou) describes the action that occurs against that backdrop (“when the butterfly entered”).

What role does se play in já se via?

Here se is an impersonal or passive pronoun. Já se via means “one could already see” or “it was already visible.” There’s no specific subject doing the seeing.

Can you drop the se and just say já via?

You could say já via, but that makes the subject explicit (e.g. “I was already seeing”). Já se via keeps it impersonal (“it was already seen/visible”).

Why is the adverb já placed before se via?

In Portuguese, adverbs like já generally come directly before the verb (or before the pronoun–verb cluster), so já se via (“was already seen”) is the normal order.

What does no céu mean?

No is the contraction of the preposition em + the masculine singular article o, so no céu means in the sky.

Why is the superlative formed as a estrela mais brilhante instead of using a suffix like brilhantíssimo?

Portuguese has two superlative forms:

Analytic: mais + adjective (“mais brilhante”) – neutral and very common.
Synthetic: adjective + -íssimo (“brilhantíssimo”) – more emphatic or literary.

Could you reorder the sentence to start with the star clause, and would it still work?

Yes. For example:
“Já se via a estrela mais brilhante no céu quando a borboleta entrou pela janela.”
This shifts emphasis to the star’s visibility before mentioning the butterfly’s entrance.