Breakdown of Esse treino é curto, mas deixa-me cheio de energia.
ser
to be
de
of
mas
but
me
me
cheio
full
deixar
to leave
a energia
the energy
esse
that
o treino
the workout
curto
short
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?
What part of speech is curto, and can it change form?
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?
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Portuguese grammar?”
Portuguese grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning PortugueseMaster Portuguese — from Esse treino é curto, mas deixa-me cheio de energia to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions