Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Lá fora, uma pequena cascata junto ao hotel refrescava o ar da tarde. - Outside, a small waterfall beside the hotel refreshed the afternoon air.

Lá fora means “outside” or “out there.” It combines lá (“there”) and fora (“out”), emphasizing that the action takes place outdoors. While you could say just fora, lá fora is more idiomatic when describing a scene set outside.

Why is there a comma after Lá fora?

The comma separates the introductory adverbial phrase from the main clause. It’s optional but helps mark a slight pause after setting the scene: Lá fora, [main clause]. This improves readability and reflects how you might pause in speech.

Why do we use uma pequena cascata instead of a pequena cascata?

Using uma (an indefinite article) introduces the waterfall as something new or not previously mentioned. If you said a pequena cascata, you’d be talking about a specific waterfall already known to the listener. Both forms are correct but convey different assumptions about shared information.

Why is the adjective pequena placed before the noun cascata?

In Portuguese, adjectives typically follow the noun (cascata pequena), but certain adjectives—especially ones denoting size (pequeno, grande)—often precede the noun for stylistic or emphatic reasons. Pequena cascata feels more fluid and descriptive in this literary context.

What does junto ao hotel mean, and how is it different from perto do hotel?

Junto ao hotel means “right next to the hotel” or “by the hotel,” implying direct adjacency. Perto do hotel means “near the hotel” but doesn’t necessarily imply immediate contact—just that it’s in the vicinity.

Why is it written junto ao hotel instead of junto a hotel or junto do hotel?

Junto a requires the preposition a, and when the noun is masculine singular, a + o contract to ao. So junto ao hotel = junto + a + o hotel. You could also say junto de + o hotel (i.e. junto do hotel), but junto ao is more common for expressing physical closeness.

Why is refrescava in the imperfect tense? What nuance does that add?

The imperfect (refrescava) describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past without a defined beginning or end. It’s used here to set the scene—portraying how the waterfall continuously refreshed the afternoon air. Using the preterite (refrescou) would imply a single, completed event rather than a sustained effect.

Could we say estava refrescando instead of refrescava?

Yes, estava refrescando (past progressive) would also express an ongoing action. However, narrative Portuguese often prefers the simple imperfect (refrescava) for background descriptions. The progressive is grammatically correct but less common in descriptive past narration.

What does ar da tarde mean, and why is da used?

Ar da tarde literally means “afternoon air.” Da is the contraction of de + a (“of the”), specifying which air is being refreshed. Without da, you’d lose that time-of-day detail.