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Podes emprestar-me o teu portátil por meia hora, e deixo-te um recado quando terminar.

Podes emprestar-me o teu portátil por meia hora, e deixo-te um recado quando terminar.
Can you lend me your laptop for half an hour, and I’ll leave you a message when I finish.
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Questions & Answers about Podes emprestar-me o teu portátil por meia hora, e deixo-te um recado quando terminar.

Why are the pronouns attached with hyphens in emprestar-me and deixo-te?

European Portuguese uses clitic pronouns that attach to the verb with a hyphen when they come after it (enclisis). So:

  • emprestar-me = to lend me
  • deixo-te = I leave you

If the pronoun comes before the verb (proclisis), there is no hyphen: não te deixo.

Why is the pronoun after the infinitive in podes emprestar-me, but after the finite verb in deixo-te?
  • With a finite verb + infinitive (here, podes
    • emprestar), Portuguese typically attaches the clitic to the infinitive: podes emprestar-me.
  • In a simple finite clause with no trigger for proclisis, EP favors enclisis to the finite verb: deixo-te.
Can I say podes-me emprestar instead of podes emprestar-me?
In European Portuguese, both are acceptable, but attaching the pronoun to the infinitive (podes emprestar-me) is stylistically preferred. In Brazil, placing the clitic before or after the finite verb (pode me emprestar) is more common.
When would the pronoun go before the verb (no hyphen), like me podes emprestar or te deixo?

Use proclisis (pronoun before the verb) when there’s a proclisis trigger, for example:

  • Negation: não me podes emprestar
  • Certain adverbs: já te deixo
  • Subordinators/relatives: que te deixo, se me emprestares
  • Indefinites/negatives: ninguém te deixa Without a trigger, EP prefers enclisis: deixo-te.
Is the comma before e in the sentence necessary or correct?

Usually, no comma is used before e in Portuguese:
Podes emprestar-me o teu portátil por meia hora e deixo-te um recado quando terminar.
The comma can mark a stylistic pause, but many editors would remove it.

What is quando terminar—which tense/mood is that?

It’s the future subjunctive. After time words like quando, assim que, logo que, Portuguese uses the future subjunctive for future events:

  • quando terminar = when I finish (in the future)
Who is the subject of terminar here—“I” or “you”?

“I” (the speaker). The form is ambiguous in shape, but the context points to the speaker: “…and I’ll leave you a message when I finish.”
If you meant “when you finish,” you’d say quando terminares (2nd person singular future subjunctive).

Why isn’t it quando termine (present subjunctive)?
Portuguese normally uses the future subjunctive (not the present subjunctive) for future time after quando, assim que, logo que, etc. So quando terminar is the standard choice.
Why does deixo-te (present) mean “I’ll leave you” (future) here?

Portuguese often uses the present indicative for near-future promises or scheduled actions when the context makes the future time clear (here, the time clause “when I finish”). You could also say:

  • vou deixar-te (periphrastic future, very common in speech)
  • deixar-te-ei (synthetic future with mesoclisis; formal/rare in speech)
Is por meia hora the best way to say “for half an hour”? What about durante?

Both work:

  • por meia hora = for half an hour (duration)
  • durante meia hora = for half an hour (neutral, very common in EP) They’re interchangeable here. Using just meia hora without a preposition is also possible in certain frames (e.g., with verbs like “demorar”).
Why is it meia hora and not meio hora?

Because hora is feminine; the adjective agrees: meia (fem.) + hora (fem.).
Note: uma meia hora can mean “about half an hour.”

Why o teu portátil and not just teu portátil or seu portátil?
  • In European Portuguese, possessives typically take the definite article: o teu portátil.
  • teu matches informal tu.
  • seu can mean “his/her/their/your (formal)” and is often avoided with tu to prevent ambiguity.
  • Without the article (teu portátil) is possible but less typical in EP.
What’s the difference between teu, seu, and vosso?
  • teu/tuas: your (singular, informal “tu”)
  • seu/sua: his/her/their; or your (formal “você”), potentially ambiguous
  • vosso/vossa: your (plural “vocês” or “vós” in very formal/archaic contexts)
Could I say Emprestas-me o teu portátil… instead of Podes emprestar-me…? Which is politer?
  • Emprestas-me…? (Present) = Will you lend me…? Direct, but still polite in the right tone.
  • Podes emprestar-me…? = Can you lend me…? Softer/more polite.
  • Podias emprestar-me…? or Podia emprestar-me…? = Even more polite (conditional or formal).
What does recado mean here? Could I use mensagem instead?

recado = a message/note you leave for someone (voicemail, written note, or verbal message via someone).
mensagem is fine too, especially for texts/emails: deixo-te uma mensagem. deixar um recado is a very common idiom in EP.

Is there anything odd about deixo-te um recado without an article (e.g., deixo-te recado)?
Yes—Portuguese generally requires the article: deixo-te um recado. Without um, it sounds unnatural here.
Can I use acabar instead of terminar?
Yes: …quando acabar is perfectly natural and common. Both verbs work; acabar can feel a bit more colloquial.
Can I say podes emprestares-me?
No. After modal verbs like poder, Portuguese uses the (bare) infinitive, not the personal infinitive. So it must be podes emprestar-me, not podes emprestares-me.
Is portátil the usual word for “laptop” in Portugal?
Yes. In Portugal, (computador) portátil is standard; people often just say o portátil. In Brazil, notebook is common.