É desagradável caminhar sem guarda-chuva quando chove.

to be

Breakdown of É desagradável caminhar sem guarda-chuva quando chove.

• quando: when
• sem: without
• caminhar: to walk

Questions & Answers about É desagradável caminhar sem guarda-chuva quando chove.

Why does the sentence start with É? What’s the function of “É desagradável” here?

“É” is the third-person singular of ser used impersonally to introduce a general statement or opinion. The structure É + adjective (É desagradável) expresses that something is unpleasant in general. The real subject (the infinitive phrase caminhar sem guarda-chuva quando chove) comes after the verb.

Why is the verb caminhar in the infinitive rather than a finite form or gerund?

The infinitive caminhar functions like a noun, naming the action itself. After É + adjective, Portuguese typically uses the infinitive to refer to actions in general. Using a gerund (andando or caminhando) would change the structure and focus, and a finite verb would require a different subject or style.

Why is there no article before guarda-chuva? Could we say um guarda-chuva?

In general statements, Portuguese often omits the article after sem. Saying caminhar sem guarda-chuva keeps it generic (“walking without an umbrella”). You can say caminhar sem um guarda-chuva to stress “without any umbrella,” but it’s slightly more specific. Using o guarda-chuva would refer to a particular umbrella already known in context.

Is guarda-chuva masculine or feminine? And how do you form the plural?