Breakdown of Ela usa capacete quando anda de trotinete.
Questions & Answers about Ela usa capacete quando anda de trotinete.
In Portuguese, usar means “to wear” in the sense of habit or state: Ela usa capacete = “She wears a helmet.”
- Vestir is mainly “to put on/wear clothing (garments),” not accessories/gear like a helmet.
- Pôr means “to put (on),” so it’s for the action of putting it on: Ela põe o capacete (“She puts the helmet on”).
For a general habit, usar is the natural choice.
With clothing/gear in a general habitual statement, Portuguese often omits the article: usa capacete, usa óculos, usa uniforme.
- usa um capacete is possible but sounds like “wears a helmet (one helmet)”—you’d use it when introducing one as an indefinite object.
- usa o capacete points to a specific helmet already known in context.
The preposition de expresses the means of transport: andar de trotinete, ir de carro, ir de comboio, andar de bicicleta.
Using na (“on/in the”) would refer to a specific vehicle and is not the standard way to express transport mode. Compare:
- Vou de comboio = I go by train (mode)
- Vou no comboio das 8 = I go on the 8 o’clock train (a specific train)
Andar alone often means “to walk” or “to move around.” With de + vehicle, it means “to ride/go by”:
- andar = to walk
- andar de trotinete = to ride/go by scooter
Yes. Portuguese is a pro‑drop language, so Usa capacete quando anda de trotinete is fine if context makes the subject clear.
Note: without ela, the form usa/anda could refer to ele/ela/você, so you lose gender/person clarity.
It’s the simple present describing a habit.
For a future, Portuguese uses the future subjunctive after quando:
- Habit: Ela usa capacete quando anda de trotinete.
- Future: Quando andar de trotinete, ela vai usar/usará capacete.
Yes: Quando anda de trotinete, ela usa capacete.
Use a comma when the dependent clause comes first; no comma when it comes after:
- Ela usa capacete quando anda de trotinete.
Approximate EP pronunciation:
- Ela ≈ “EH-luh”
- usa ≈ “OO-zuh” (z as in “zoo”)
- capacete ≈ “kah-pah-SEH-t(uh)” (final e very weak)
- quando ≈ “KWAHN-doo” (ã is nasal)
- anda ≈ “UN-duh” (a nasal at the start)
- de ≈ very short “d(uh)”
- trotinete ≈ “tro-tee-NEH-t(uh)”
Native EP reduces many final e’s to a very weak sound.
In Portugal, trotinete is a kick scooter (including the stand‑up electric kind: trotinete elétrica).
A motor scooter is usually scooter; a motorbike is mota.
- a trotinete (feminine)
- o capacete (masculine)
The subject ela being feminine doesn’t affect the noun genders.
For vehicles, the idiom is andar de + vehicle: de trotinete, de bicicleta, de carro.
There are set expressions with a, e.g., andar a cavalo (on horseback), but not with trotinete.
Yes, with a nuance:
- andar de trotinete emphasizes the activity/ability or habitual mode.
- ir/vai de trotinete emphasizes going somewhere by scooter on that occasion.
In a habitual sentence, quando can mean “whenever.” You can also use sempre que for extra clarity:
- Ela usa capacete quando anda de trotinete.
- Ela usa capacete sempre que anda de trotinete.
Yes, andar is a regular ‑ar verb (present):
- eu ando, tu andas, ele/ela/você anda
Examples: Eu ando de trotinete. / Tu andas de trotinete. / Ela anda de trotinete.
No. In the transport‑mode pattern there’s no article, so it stays de trotinete (not contracted).
You only contract de + article when an article is actually present: e.g., da in o travão da trotinete (“the scooter’s brake”).
- Ela está de capacete. (very natural for current state)
- Ela está a usar um capacete. (progressive)
- For the action of putting it on: Ela está a pôr o capacete.