Breakdown of Esse treino é curto, mas deixa-me cheio de energia.
Questions & Answers about Esse treino é curto, mas deixa-me cheio de energia.
What is the function and meaning of esse in this sentence? Could I use este or aquele instead?
Esse is a demonstrative adjective that points to something near the listener or something already mentioned.
- Este treino would imply the training is close to the speaker or about to start now.
- Aquele treino would refer to a training session farther away in time or space (e.g. a past or very distant event).
So you choose este, esse or aquele based on how close or familiar the training is to speaker/listener.
Why is the pronoun placed after the verb as deixa-me instead of before it as me deixa?
Portuguese has rules for clitic pronoun placement:
- After a pause (comma) or at the very start of a clause, European Portuguese prefers enclisis (verb + pronoun): deixa-me.
- Proclisis (pronoun + verb) like me deixa often appears when there’s a negative word, question word, or certain conjunctions requiring it.
Here, the comma before mas creates a “new clause,” so enclisis is the norm.
Could I say me deixa cheio de energia instead of deixa-me cheio de energia? Would it sound wrong?
You can say me deixa cheio de energia, and native speakers will understand you perfectly.
- In European Portuguese, deixa-me is more formal/standard after punctuation.
- Colloquially (and especially in Brazilian Portuguese), me deixa is very common.
Neither is “wrong,” but choose enclisis for a more European-Portuguese feel.
What does cheio de energia literally mean, and are there other ways to express it?
Cheio de energia literally means “full of energy.”
Alternatives include:
- Repleto de energia (a bit more formal)
- Com muita energia (with lots of energy)
- Super energizado (informal, “super energized”)
They all convey that you feel very energetic after the training.
What part of speech is curto, and can it change form?
Curto is a masculine singular adjective meaning “short.”
- Feminine form: curta (e.g. essa sessão é curta)
- Plural forms: curtos (masc.) / curtas (fem.)
It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
Why don’t we use an article before treino, like o treino é curto?
You can say O treino é curto, mas… with a definite article; it simply feels more “introduced” or generic.
Using Esse treino already contains a demonstrative plus noun, so adding o would be redundant. If you wanted “a certain short training,” you could say Um treino é curto…, but that changes the meaning.
Is there anything special about using mas here instead of another conjunction?
Mas is the standard coordinating conjunction for “but” and contrasts two statements.
- You could also use porém or no entanto for a more formal tone:
“Esse treino é curto; porém, deixa-me cheio de energia.”
But mas is the most common and natural in everyday speech.
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