Breakdown of Eu sinto o peso dos cadernos na mesa.
eu
I
de
of
em
in
sentir
to feel
a mesa
the table
o caderno
the notebook
o peso
the weight
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Questions & Answers about Eu sinto o peso dos cadernos na mesa.
Why is eu used here? Can it be omitted?
Portuguese is a “pro-drop” language, which means subject pronouns like eu are often omitted because the verb ending already indicates the subject. Including eu adds emphasis or clarity. So you can say Sinto o peso dos cadernos na mesa and it’s perfectly correct.
What nuance does sinto carry here compared to the English “I feel”?
In Portuguese, sentir covers both physical sensations and emotions. Here it emphasizes a physical sensation—literally perceiving weight. English requires “I feel the weight,” but in Portuguese the same verb works for “I feel happy” (sinto-me feliz) or “I feel pain” (sinto dor).
Why is there a definite article before peso? Couldn’t you say sinto peso?
Portuguese usually uses definite articles with abstract or general nouns. Saying sinto o peso (“I feel the weight”) sounds natural, whereas sinto peso would be odd or poetic. The article marks peso as a specific sensation.
What’s the function of dos in dos cadernos?
Dos is the contraction of de + os, meaning “of the.” So o peso dos cadernos literally means “the weight of the notebooks.”
Why do we say na mesa and not no mesa or just em mesa?
Mesa is feminine, so “in/on the table” is em + a mesa = na mesa. No mesa would mix a masculine article with a feminine noun, and em mesa without an article sounds incomplete in this context.
Could we swap word order to Eu sinto na mesa o peso dos cadernos?
Yes, but it changes emphasis. The original focuses on what you feel; the altered order highlights where you feel it (on the table). It’s grammatically correct but a bit marked or poetic in everyday speech.
What’s the difference between sinto and percebo here?
Sinto emphasizes a physical or emotional sensation, while percebo means “I perceive” or “I notice.” If you want to express a bodily feeling, use sinto. If you simply become aware of something—sound, fact, detail—you’d use percebo.
Why isn’t there a reflexive pronoun like sinto-me?
You use a reflexive pronoun when the subject feels a state in itself (e.g., sinto-me cansado = “I feel tired”). Here, you’re feeling an external object (the weight of the notebooks), so it’s a direct object: sinto o peso.