Breakdown of O granizo foi removido do passeio pela equipa de limpeza.
ser
to be
de
of
de
from
a equipa
the team
a limpeza
the cleaning
o granizo
the hail
removido
removed
o passeio
the sidewalk
pela
by
Questions & Answers about O granizo foi removido do passeio pela equipa de limpeza.
Why is the passive voice used with foi removido instead of an active construction?
The passive voice (ser + past participle) highlights the action on the subject (o granizo) rather than who performed it. It’s common in reports or formal statements. The active version would be: A equipa de limpeza removeu o granizo do passeio, which focuses on the team.
How exactly is the passive voice formed in Portuguese?
You need three elements:
- The appropriate form of ser (here foi, past of “to be”)
- The past participle of the main verb (here removido)
- The agent introduced by por (or its contraction)
So: O granizo (subject) + foi removido (ser + participle) + pela equipa de limpeza (agent).
What does passeio mean in this context?
In European Portuguese, passeio is the sidewalk or footpath alongside a road. (In Brazil, people usually say calçada for “sidewalk.”)
Why do we say o granizo and do passeio with definite articles, whereas English omits them?
Portuguese generally requires definite articles before nouns, even for mass nouns like hail. Also, do is the contraction of de + o because passeio is masculine. Omitting these articles would sound unnatural.
What is pela in pela equipa de limpeza, and why is it used?
Pela is the contraction of por + a. In a passive sentence, the agent (the doer) is introduced by por. Since equipa is feminine, por + a becomes pela, meaning “by the cleaning crew.”
Which preposition does remover take when expressing “remove something from somewhere”?
Remover is followed by de to indicate origin: remover X de Y. Because o passeio is masculine, de + o contracts to do, giving removido do passeio.
Could I use retirar or tirar instead of remover here?
Yes. Both are synonyms:
- retirar is very close in register: O granizo foi retirado do passeio…
- tirar is more colloquial and often used in speech: O granizo foi tirado do passeio…
In Brazilian Portuguese, would this sentence look different?
Mostly the same structure, but:
- equipa de limpeza becomes equipe de limpeza
- passeio (sidewalk) would more often be calçada
Everything else (passive voice, articles, prepositions) stays the same.
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