Breakdown of A professora pediu para puxarmos a cadeira para mais perto da mesa.
de
of
mais
more
para
to
a professora
the teacher
a mesa
the table
perto
near
pedir
to ask
puxar
to pull
a cadeira
the chair
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Questions & Answers about A professora pediu para puxarmos a cadeira para mais perto da mesa.
Why is puxarmos used here instead of the simple infinitive puxar?
puxarmos is the first-person plural personal infinitive of puxar. It explicitly marks that “we” (the students) are to pull the chair. The simple infinitive puxar is impersonal and doesn’t specify a subject. European Portuguese often uses the personal infinitive after para when the actor is known.
Could you say A professora pediu que puxássemos a cadeira para mais perto da mesa instead? What’s the difference?
Yes. pediu que puxássemos uses the imperfect subjunctive and is grammatically correct. It’s slightly more formal or literary. The version with para puxarmos employs the personal infinitive and is very common in everyday European Portuguese.
Why are there two instances of para in this sentence?
The first para is part of the verbal construction pedir para + infinitive, meaning “asked to.” The second para is a preposition of direction or purpose in para mais perto da mesa, meaning “towards closer to the table.”
Why does the phrase use da mesa rather than just de mesa?
perto (“near”) requires the preposition de to link it to its object. Since mesa is feminine singular with the definite article a, de + a contracts to da, giving perto da mesa (“near the table”).
What is the difference between mais perto and mais próximo in para mais perto da mesa?
Both mean “closer.” mais perto is more colloquial and literally “more close,” while mais próximo is slightly more formal. In everyday speech mais perto is the usual choice.
Why does Portuguese use definite articles before professora and cadeira (a professora, a cadeira) when English often drops “the”?
Portuguese grammar generally requires definite articles before nouns referring to specific people and objects. It signals that both “the teacher” and “the chair” are definite items. English can sometimes omit “the” in similar contexts, but Portuguese normally keeps the article.