Breakdown of Escrevi um pequeno resumo de cada capítulo do livro.
um
a
de
of
o livro
the book
escrever
to write
pequeno
small
cada
each
o resumo
the summary
o capítulo
the chapter
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Questions & Answers about Escrevi um pequeno resumo de cada capítulo do livro.
Why is there no pronoun eu before escrevi?
Portuguese often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already indicates the subject. In escrevi, the ending -i marks 1st person singular (“I wrote”), so adding eu is unnecessary unless you want extra emphasis.
Why is escrevi (pretérito perfeito simples) used instead of escrevia (pretérito imperfeito) or tenho escrito (pretérito perfeito composto)?
Use escrevi for a single, completed action in the past. Escrevia describes ongoing or habitual past actions. Tenho escrito emphasizes an action that started in the past and continues or has relevance to the present.
Why do we say um pequeno resumo instead of o pequeno resumo?
Um is the indefinite article (“a small summary”), indicating any small summary. O is the definite article (“the small summary”), which would refer to a specific, already identified summary.
Why is the adjective pequeno placed before the noun resumo, when many adjectives follow the noun in Portuguese?
Most adjectives follow the noun, but adjectives denoting size, quantity, or rank often precede it. Placing pequeno before resumo both emphasizes its smallness and sounds more idiomatic.
Why is it cada capítulo and not cada capítulos?
After cada (“each”), Portuguese always uses a singular noun: cada + singular. Plural nouns are not allowed directly after cada.
Why do we use de in resumo de cada capítulo? Could we say resumo sobre cada capítulo?
De links “summary” to its subject (“summary of each chapter”) and is the most idiomatic choice. Resumo sobre (“summary about”) is grammatically correct but less common for a straightforward “summary of …” construction.
Why do we contract de + o into do in capítulo do livro?
In Portuguese, de + o always contracts to do. Thus, capítulo do livro means “chapter of the book.”
Why don’t we contract de + cada into something like d’cada?
Contractions occur only between prepositions and definite articles (o, a, os, as). Since cada is a pronoun/determiner and not an article, de remains separate: de cada.