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Cada voluntário trouxe um colete refletor para trabalhar em segurança.

Cada voluntário trouxe um colete refletor para trabalhar em segurança.
Each volunteer brought a reflective vest to work safely.
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Questions & Answers about Cada voluntário trouxe um colete refletor para trabalhar em segurança.

What does cada mean here, and why can’t I use todo or todos?

Cada means “each” and emphasizes one volunteer at a time. You pair it with a singular noun: cada voluntário (“each volunteer”).

  • Todo(s) means “all” and would require a plural verb and noun: todos os voluntários trouxeram… (“all the volunteers brought…”).
  • Tudo is used with uncountable things (e.g. tudo está pronto = “everything is ready”) and can’t modify a count noun like “voluntário.”
Why is the verb trouxe in the simple past (pretérito perfeito) and not the present perfect?

In Portuguese, the pretérito perfeito (here trouxe from trazer) usually corresponds to the English simple past (“brought”). It indicates a completed action at a definite time (even if unstated).
English sometimes uses the present perfect (“has brought”) in similar contexts, but European Portuguese prefers the simple past for finished events.

Why is trouxe singular when there are many volunteers?

Because the subject is cada voluntário, which is grammatically singular. With cada you treat the action as happening by each individual volunteer, so the verb stays in the 3rd-person singular:
“Cada voluntário trouxe um colete.”
If you said todos os voluntários, you would use trouxeram (3rd-person plural).

Why is it um colete (singular) instead of coletes (plural)?
Again, because cada voluntário is singular, each one brings one vest: um colete. If the subject were plural (e.g. todos os voluntários), you could say coletes.
Why is the descriptor refletor used instead of refletivo?
Both adjectives exist, but colete refletor is the standard term in European Portuguese for a high-visibility safety vest. Refletor here functions as an adjective derived from the noun “refletor” (reflector), while refletivo is less common in this fixed phrase.
What does para trabalhar em segurança express, and how does para + infinitive work?

The phrase para trabalhar em segurança is an infinitive clause of purpose: “in order to work safely.”

  • para
    • infinitive (e.g. para trabalhar) indicates the goal or intention of the action.
  • It literally means “so they can work” with the added state “in safety.”
Why em segurança and not com segurança? Are both possible?

Both are correct and commonly used in Portugal:

  • trabalhar em segurança emphasizes the state of being “in safety.”
  • trabalhar com segurança focuses more on the manner (“with safety measures”).
    In practice, they’re interchangeable in this context.
Could I rephrase the sentence with plural or definite articles?

Yes. For example:

  • “Todos os voluntários trouxeram coletes refletores para trabalhar com segurança.”
    Here you use todos os voluntários (all the volunteers), plural trouxeram, plural coletes refletores and com segurança. The meaning shifts slightly from “each one brought” to “all of them brought.”