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O barulho impede-me de dormir à noite.

O barulho impede-me de dormir à noite.
The noise prevents me from sleeping at night.
FromLesson 25inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of O barulho impede-me de dormir à noite.

a noite
the night
me
me
dormir
to sleep
o barulho
the noise
impedir de
to prevent

Questions & Answers about O barulho impede-me de dormir à noite.

Why is the clitic pronoun attached after the verb in impede-me instead of preceding it like me impede?
In European Portuguese, the default in simple affirmative main clauses is enclisis: the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb with a hyphen, hence impede-me. Proclisis (placing the pronoun before the verb, e.g. me impede) happens after negative words (like não me impede), certain conjunctions, interrogatives, relative pronouns, or in colloquial speech. In Brazilian Portuguese, proclisis is more common even in neutral affirmative sentences.
Why is there a de before dormir in impede-me de dormir?
The verb impedir requires the preposition de when introducing an infinitive clause indicating what someone is prevented from doing. The pattern is impedir alguém de fazer algo. Omitting de (i.e. impede-me dormir) would be ungrammatical.
Why is à noite written with an accent?
Because it’s a contraction of the preposition a (“at”) + the feminine singular definite article a (“the night”). When you combine a + a, you get à. Without contraction, a noite simply means “the night,” not “at night.”
Can I say de noite instead of à noite?
Yes. de noite also means “at night” and is very common in informal speech. Subtly, à noite is a bit more neutral or formal, while de noite often emphasizes “during the night” and contrasts with the daytime (e.g. Ele trabalha de noite).
Why is there a definite article o before barulho? Can I drop it?
Portuguese frequently uses definite articles with abstract or generic nouns. O barulho = “the noise” in general. In very informal contexts or headlines you might omit it (Barulho impede-me de dormir), but in standard EP you include o.
Is this sentence different in Brazilian Portuguese?
Yes. A Brazilian speaker would normally say O barulho me impede de dormir à noite. Note the pronoun comes before the verb (me impede) instead of after, and enclisis is less common in everyday usage.
Why can’t I say impede-me dormir without de?
Because the construction after impedir that introduces an infinitive clause always uses de. impede-me dormir is incorrect; you need impede-me de dormir.
Can I place the pronoun after the preposition, like impede de me dormir?
No. Clitic pronouns attach to the verb (enclisis) or precede it (proclisis). They cannot follow a preposition in this structure. You must say impede-me de dormir or me impede de dormir.
Could I use que + subjunctive instead of de + infinitive, like impede que eu durma à noite?
You can use impedir que + subjunctive only when the subjects of the two clauses differ and in more literary or formal contexts (e.g. O médico impediu que eu dormisse). When the subject is the same (the noise prevents me from me sleeping), European Portuguese prefers impedir de + infinitive: O barulho impede-me de dormir à noite.
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