Breakdown of Sem a assinatura do diretor, o formulário fica inválido.
de
of
sem
without
ficar
to become
o diretor
the director
a assinatura
the signature
o formulário
the form
inválido
invalid
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Questions & Answers about Sem a assinatura do diretor, o formulário fica inválido.
Why is there a definite article before assinatura in sem a assinatura do diretor?
In Portuguese, even with prepositions like sem, we often use the definite article (a, o, as, os) before specific, known items. Here, a assinatura refers to a particular signature (the director’s), so the article a is required. In English you would say “without the director’s signature,” but you wouldn’t include “the” after “without.”
What is do in do diretor, and why is it used?
do is a contraction of the preposition de (of/from) plus the definite article o (the). So do diretor literally means “of the director.” Portuguese frequently contracts de + o → do and de + a → da (also em + o → no, em + a → na, etc.).
Why is the verb fica used instead of é in o formulário fica inválido?
Portuguese has two main verbs for “to be”: ser and ficar (or estar).
- ser (e.g., é inválido) describes inherent, permanent characteristics.
- ficar (e.g., fica inválido) often marks a change of state or a resulting condition.
Here, the form becomes (or is left) invalid because it lacks the signature—so ficar highlights that result.
Why is inválido placed after formulário instead of before it?
Portuguese generally puts descriptive adjectives after the noun for neutral statements. Placing the adjective before the noun can add emphasis, a poetic tone, or stylistic nuance. o formulário inválido is normal, while o inválido formulário would sound odd or highly marked.
Does inválido change form for gender and number?
Yes. Portuguese adjectives agree with the noun in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). So you get:
- singular masculine: inválido
- singular feminine: inválida
- plural masculine: inválidos
- plural feminine: inválidas
Can you omit the article and say sem assinatura do diretor?
Colloquially, you might hear sem assinatura do diretor, but in European Portuguese the standard, more formal structure uses the article: sem a assinatura do diretor. Omitting the article can make the phrase sound less natural or overly telegraphic.