Breakdown of Comprei uma pulseira de prata para combinar com o meu relógio.
eu
I
meu
my
de
of
comprar
to buy
com
with
para
to
uma
a
o relógio
the watch
a prata
the silver
a pulseira
the bracelet
combinar
to match
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Questions & Answers about Comprei uma pulseira de prata para combinar com o meu relógio.
Why do we say pulseira de prata instead of pulseira em prata?
In Portuguese, de + material is the standard way to express what something is made of. So pulseira de prata literally means “a bracelet made of silver.” While you might occasionally see em prata, de prata is by far the most common construction for materials.
Why is para followed by the infinitive combinar rather than a conjugated verb?
When the subject of both clauses is the same (here, “I”), Portuguese uses para + infinitive to express purpose. You bought the bracelet in order to match your watch, so you say para combinar.
Could I say para combinar com meu relógio without the article o?
In European Portuguese, it’s more natural to include the definite article before a possessive: com o meu relógio. In Brazilian Portuguese you’ll often hear com meu relógio, but in Portugal the article is usually kept.
Why is there an acute accent on the ó in relógio?
Relógio is a proparoxytone (stress on the antepenultimate syllable: re-ló-gi-o). By orthographic rule, all proparoxytones in Portuguese carry a written accent to mark the stress.
Why is there no subject pronoun before comprei? Could I say Eu comprei?
Portuguese verb endings normally tell you the subject, so subject pronouns (like eu) are optional. You can say Eu comprei, but it’s redundant unless you need extra emphasis on “I.”
Can I replace para with pra in para combinar?
In informal spoken Portuguese—both in Portugal and Brazil—pra is a common contraction of para. It works perfectly in casual conversation, but in formal writing you should stick to para.
Could I use a relative clause like que combina com o meu relógio instead of para combinar?
Yes, but the nuance changes.
– …que combina com o meu relógio describes the bracelet’s characteristic (“I bought a silver bracelet that matches my watch”).
– …para combinar com o meu relógio emphasizes your purpose for buying it (“I bought it in order to match my watch”).
Why do we use uma pulseira and not um pulseira?
Pulseira is a feminine noun in Portuguese, so it requires the feminine article uma. You would only use um with masculine nouns (for example, um relógio).
Why isn’t the verb in the subjunctive (for example, combinasse)?
Because the subject in both clauses is the same (“I”), a simple para + infinitive is used for purpose. A subjunctive clause with para que combinasse would be needed only if the subject changed. For instance:
“Comprei um presente para que ele combinasse com o meu relógio.”