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Questions & Answers about Não há motivo para isso.
Why is há used instead of tem in não há motivo para isso?
In European Portuguese, há (from the verb haver) is the impersonal form meaning “there is/are” and is preferred in formal and written contexts. Tem (from ter) can also mean “there is” in colloquial speech, especially in Brazilian Portuguese, but it’s less common in Portugal for expressing existence.
What grammatical role does há play here?
Here há is the third‐person singular present tense of haver used impersonally to indicate existence. It functions like the English “there is.”
Why isn’t there an article before motivo?
When you say “não há motivo,” you’re stating in general that “no reason exists.” Adding an article (for example, não há um motivo) would imply a specific reason, which changes the nuance. The zero article conveys the general absence of any reason.
What does para isso mean in this context?
Para means “for” or “to,” indicating purpose or relation. Isso means “that” (referring to an action or situation already mentioned). Together para isso translates as “for that” or “for it,” so não há motivo para isso = “there is no reason for that.”
Can I replace há with existe and say não existe motivo para isso?
Yes. Não existe motivo para isso is correct and carries the same meaning. Existe (from existir) also expresses existence, though some speakers feel haver (há) sounds a bit more idiomatic in this fixed expression.
Could I use isto instead of isso in para isso?
Generally no. Isto refers to something close to the speaker or just about to be mentioned, whereas isso points to something you’ve just referred to or something more distant. In não há motivo para isso, you’re pointing back to a situation already discussed, so isso is appropriate.
How is motivo pronounced?
In European Portuguese, motivo is pronounced [muˈti vu]. The stress falls on the second syllable ti, and the final o is a close-mid back rounded vowel, almost like the o in English “more.”