Breakdown of O senhorio subiu a renda este mês, e eu não estava à espera.
eu
I
e
and
este
this
não
not
o mês
the month
o senhorio
the landlord
subir
to raise
a renda
the rent
estar à espera
to expect
Questions & Answers about O senhorio subiu a renda este mês, e eu não estava à espera.
What does senhorio mean, and is there a feminine form?
In European Portuguese, o senhorio is the person who owns the property you rent, i.e., the landlord. The feminine is a senhoria (landlady). You’ll also hear gender-neutral or role-based alternatives like o/a proprietário/a or colloquial o dono/a dona da casa.
Why is it o senhorio and not meu senhorio? Does it still mean “my landlord”?
Yes. In Portuguese, the definite article often identifies a specific, contextually known person. In a tenant–landlord context, o senhorio naturally implies “my/our building’s landlord.” You can say o meu senhorio to be explicit or contrast with someone else’s.
Can I drop the article and just say senhorio?
Is subiu a renda correct? I thought subir was intransitive.
Both are possible in modern usage:
- Intransitive: A renda subiu (“The rent went up.”)
- Transitive: O senhorio subiu a renda (“The landlord raised the rent.”)
Transitive subir is common and idiomatic in European Portuguese. A neutral alternative is aumentar: O senhorio aumentou a renda.
Why is it a renda and not à renda?
Here a is the definite article (“the”), not a preposition. À (with grave accent) is the contraction of the preposition a + the article a. Since renda is the direct object of the verb, no preposition is needed: a renda.
Does renda ever mean “income”? Could it be confused?
- renda = rent (what a tenant pays). It also means “lace” (fabric) in other contexts.
- “Income” is usually rendimento (or renda in some economic/technical contexts, but everyday Portuguese prefers rendimento or salário for salary). In housing contexts, renda will be understood as “rent.”
What would Brazilians say instead of renda?
Why este mês and not neste mês? Are both correct?
Both are correct; they differ slightly in structure:
- este mês = “this month” (no preposition)
- neste mês = “in this month” (contraction of em + este) In your sentence, este mês is natural. If you start the sentence, both work: Este mês, … / Neste mês, …
Is the comma before e necessary: …, e eu não…?
Why is it não estava à espera (imperfect) and not não estive à espera (preterite)?
The imperfect estava describes an ongoing background state at the time of the event (the rent rise). It’s the natural choice for “I wasn’t expecting (it).” Não estive à espera would suggest a bounded period of “being in a waiting state,” which doesn’t fit the meaning here.
What exactly does estar à espera (de) mean? Do I need de?
Where is the “it” in “I wasn’t expecting it”? Should I add disso?
Portuguese often omits a direct equivalent of English “it.” If you want to be explicit, add disso (“of that”): … e eu não estava à espera disso. You can also use disto/daquilo depending on distance/context.
What’s the difference between esperar, esperar por, and estar à espera de?
Could I say Eu não esperava instead of não estava à espera?
Yes. Eu não esperava is also idiomatic (“I didn’t expect [it]”). Nuance:
- não estava à espera highlights an ongoing state of not expecting at that time.
- não esperava states a general expectation (or lack thereof). In practice, both are fine here.
Why is à in à espera written with a grave accent?
It marks the contraction (crase) of preposition a + article a = à. The fixed phrase is estar à espera (de …). Don’t write a espera (no accent), and don’t confuse à with há (“there is/are” or “ago”).
Can I move este mês to the beginning?
What if I want to avoid naming the landlord?
Any register differences between subiu a renda and aumentou a renda?
Both are neutral and common in European Portuguese. Some stylistic guides prefer aumentar as the “clear” causative, but everyday speech and journalism widely use transitive subir with prices, rents, taxes, etc.
Is eu necessary in e eu não estava à espera?
Helpful here. Without eu, … e não estava à espera could be ambiguous (it might be read as referring to the landlord). Portuguese often drops subject pronouns, but includes them to avoid ambiguity or add contrast.
Quick pronunciation tips?
- senhorio: roughly “s’nyo-REE-oo” [sɨɲoˈɾiu] (the nh-like sound in senh- is /ɲ/).
- renda: “REN-duh” [ˈʁẽdɐ] (EP often has a guttural R).
- à: same vowel as a, the accent marks contraction, not a different sound.
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