Breakdown of O cantor espera no camarim antes do concerto.
em
in
esperar
to wait
antes de
before
o concerto
the concert
o cantor
the singer
o camarim
the dressing room
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Questions & Answers about O cantor espera no camarim antes do concerto.
What does espera mean in this sentence?
In this context, espera is the third-person singular present indicative of the verb esperar, meaning “waits (for).” Although esperar can also mean “to hope,” here the reference to a location (no camarim) makes it clear that it means “to wait.”
Why doesn’t the sentence use a continuous form like está esperando?
European Portuguese typically uses the simple present to express ongoing actions where English uses the present continuous. You’ll rarely hear the gerund form in everyday speech; espera suffices.
Why is it written as no camarim instead of em o camarim?
No is the contraction of em + o. Portuguese often contracts prepositions with definite articles: em + o → no.
Couldn’t we say na camarim instead of no camarim?
No, because camarim is a masculine noun. Na is the contraction of em + a (for feminine singular), so no must be used here.
What is a camarim?
A camarim is the “dressing room” or “green room” where performers prepare themselves and wait before going on stage.
Why do we have antes do concerto instead of antes de o concerto?
Antes de + o (the masculine definite article) contracts to antes do, just like em + o → no.
Is show interchangeable with concerto in Portuguese?
Yes, show is an informal anglicism commonly used in spoken Portuguese to mean any live performance. Concerto is the standard term, especially for classical music events.
Can you invert the sentence to put the time phrase first, like Antes do concerto, o cantor espera no camarim?
Absolutely. Portuguese allows you to start with the time expression. This variation puts emphasis on when the action happens but keeps the same meaning.
Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like ele before the verb?
Portuguese often omits subject pronouns because verb endings clearly indicate the subject. Here, o cantor already identifies who is performing the action, so adding ele would be redundant.