Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Mais tarde, fomos escalar a colina que fica atrás dessa cascata. - Later, we went to climb the hill that is behind that waterfall.

Mais tarde literally means “later” and is the most natural way to say “later on” in Portuguese. Depois can also work, but you’d typically hear Depois, fomos… on its own, or Depois disso when you want “after that.” Mais tarde just feels smoother for a simple “later.”

Why doesn’t the sentence include nós before fomos?

In Portuguese, subject pronouns like nós are often dropped because the verb ending already indicates the person. Fomos clearly marks the first person plural (“we went”), so adding nós is redundant and less common in everyday speech.

Why is it fomos escalar and not fomos a escalar?

Portuguese uses the periphrastic construction ir + infinitive without a preposition (unlike Spanish). So you say fomos escalar (“we went to climb”). Adding a (as in Spanish fuimos a escalar) would be incorrect in Portuguese.

What’s the difference between escalar and subir?

Both can mean “to climb,” but escalar often implies a more technical or challenging climb (think rock climbing). Subir is more general and means “to go up” or “ascend,” whether it’s stairs, a hill, or a mountain. Using escalar here hints at more effort or adventure.

Why is it a colina and not na colina?

Here a colina is the direct object of the verb escalar. In Portuguese, when you climb something, you simply say escalar + [object]. If you were describing your location (e.g. “we were on the hill”), you’d use na colina.

Why does it say dessa cascata instead of da cascata or desta cascata?

Dessa is a contraction of de + essa, meaning “of that.” You use essa for something not super close to the speaker but known or just mentioned. Desta (de + esta) would mean “of this” (very close to the speaker), and da (de + a) is just the neutral “of the,” but dessa specifically signals “of that waterfall.”

Why is the relative clause introduced by que and why is the verb fica used instead of é?

Que is the neutral relative pronoun (“which/that”) linking colina to its description. Ficar in this context means “to be located.” So que fica atrás dessa cascata = “that is located behind that waterfall.” Using é would still be understandable, but locations in Portuguese typically use ficar to express where something sits or lies.