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Graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas, o meu progresso está a ser notado pela professora.

Graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas, o meu progresso está a ser notado pela professora.
Thanks to a simple routine and small breaks, my progress is being noticed by the teacher.
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Questions & Answers about Graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas, o meu progresso está a ser notado pela professora.

Why do we say graças a here, and not use another preposition like para or por?

Graças a is a fixed expression in Portuguese meaning thanks to (as a cause of something, usually positive or at least neutral).

  • graças = literally thanks (plural noun)
  • a = the preposition to

You cannot normally replace a here with para or por.
So:

  • Graças a uma rotina simples… = Thanks to a simple routine…
  • ✗ Graças para uma rotina simples… → incorrect
  • ✗ Graças por uma rotina simples… → incorrect as a causal phrase

There is another expression dar graças por (to give thanks for), but that is a different structure (with the verb dar).

Why is the preposition a repeated in graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas? Could I drop the second a?

The preposition a technically governs both parts of the list:

  • a uma rotina simples
  • a pequenas pausas

In careful, standard writing it is normal (and often preferred) to repeat the preposition before each coordinated element, especially when there is no shared article:

  • Graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas… ✅ (very natural)
  • Graças a uma rotina simples e pequenas pausas… ⚠️ possible in casual speech, but feels less polished / a bit clumsy in European Portuguese

So the repetition of a is there for clarity and correctness, and it sounds very natural in European Portuguese.

Why is it uma rotina simples but pequenas pausas? Why does one adjective come after the noun and the other before?

Portuguese allows adjectives both before and after the noun, but there are tendencies:

  • Adjectives of size, quantity, and some very frequent ones (like pequeno, grande, bom, mau) often come before the noun:
    • pequenas pausas = small / short breaks
  • Many other adjectives, especially more descriptive ones, tend to come after the noun:
    • rotina simples = a simple routine

Also, position can slightly change the nuance:

  • uma rotina simples = a routine that is simple (not complex)
  • uma simples rotina = a mere routine, nothing special (more emotional / stylistic)

Here, rotina simples is a straightforward description, while pequenas pausas follows the common pattern of size/quantity before the noun.

Why is it o meu progresso instead of just meu progresso?

In European Portuguese, the definite article is normally used with possessive adjectives:

  • o meu progresso = my progress
  • a minha casa = my house
  • o teu livro = your book

So o meu progresso is the default, natural form in Portugal.

Using meu progresso without the article is:

  • Very common in Brazilian Portuguese
  • Possible but less typical in European Portuguese; it can sound either:
    • stylistic / literary, or
    • influenced by Brazilian usage

In everyday European Portuguese, o meu progresso is what you expect to hear.

What exactly is the structure of está a ser notado? How does it work grammatically?

Está a ser notado is a progressive passive form in European Portuguese:

  • está – third person singular of estar (present tense)
  • a – preposition used in the European continuous form
  • ser – infinitive of to be
  • notado – past participle of notar (to notice)

Altogether:

  • está a ser notado ≈ is being noticed

It describes an ongoing process: the progress is in the process of being noticed now / around now.

Why está a ser notado and not just é notado?

Both are grammatically correct, but they differ in meaning:

  • é notado

    • simple present passive: is noticed (generally, habitually, as a fact)
    • Example: O meu progresso é notado pela professora = My progress is noticed by the teacher (as a general truth).

  • está a ser notado

    • progressive passive: is being noticed (right now, currently, in this period)
    • Example: O meu progresso está a ser notado pela professora = My progress is currently being noticed by the teacher.

In your sentence, the idea is that recently / nowadays your progress is becoming noticeable, so está a ser notado fits better.

Why is it está a ser notado and not está sendo notado or está sendo notado with a gerund?

This is one of the big differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese:

  • European Portuguese (Portugal)
    • prefers estar a + infinitive for the continuous:
      • está a ser notado = is being noticed
      • estou a estudar = I am studying
  • Brazilian Portuguese
    • prefers estar + gerúndio:
      • está sendo notado
      • estou estudando

So, in Portugal:

  • está a ser notado ✅ natural
  • está sendo notado ❌ sounds Brazilian, not standard in Portugal

Both forms express the same idea, but está a ser is the correct local choice for European Portuguese.

What does pela mean in pela professora, and why not just por professora?

Pela is a contraction:

  • por + a = pela (feminine singular)
  • por + o = pelo (masculine singular)

In the passive voice, the agent (the one doing the action) is introduced by por:

  • está a ser notado pela professora
    = is being noticed by the teacher

You cannot drop the article here:

  • por professora ❌ wrong in this sense
  • pela professora ✅ correct: by the (female) teacher

So pela professora literally means by the teacher (female).

Why is notado masculine singular? Shouldn’t it agree with professora, which is feminine?

In the passive voice, the past participle (notado) agrees with the subject, not with the agent introduced by por/pela.

  • Subject: o meu progresso → masculine singular
  • Agent: a professora → feminine singular

Therefore:

  • O meu progresso está a ser notado pela professora. ✅
    • notado agrees with progresso (masc. sg.)

If the subject were feminine plural, the participle would change:

  • As minhas melhoras estão a ser notadas pela professora.
    (notadas agrees with melhoras, fem. pl.)

So the agreement is with o meu progresso, not with a professora.

Could I say Graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas, a professora está a notar o meu progresso instead? Is there a difference?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct:

  • Graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas, a professora está a notar o meu progresso.

Differences:

  • Passive (original):
    • O meu progresso está a ser notado pela professora.
    • Focuses on your progress and the fact that it is being noticed.
  • Active (alternative):
    • A professora está a notar o meu progresso.
    • Focuses more directly on the teacher and what she is doing.

Both are natural in European Portuguese. The choice is mostly about which part you want to highlight: the progress (passive) or the teacher’s action (active).

Can I replace graças a with por causa de or devido a? Do they mean the same thing?

They all express cause, but the nuance changes:

  • graças a
    • usually positive or at least good consequence
    • Graças a uma rotina simples… ≈ Thanks to a simple routine…
  • por causa de
    • neutral, can be positive or negative
    • Por causa de uma rotina simples… ≈ Because of a simple routine…
  • devido a
    • more formal, often written
    • Devido a uma rotina simples… ≈ Due to a simple routine…

In your sentence, graças a fits well because the result (your progress) is positive.

Could I move the cause to the end and say O meu progresso está a ser notado pela professora graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct:

  • O meu progresso está a ser notado pela professora graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas. ✅

Differences in feel:

  • Fronted cause (original):
    • Graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas, o meu progresso…
    • Emphasises the cause right at the start.
  • Cause at the end:
    • Emphasises first the result (my progress is being noticed) and then explains why.

Both are acceptable; the original order is slightly more stylistic and focused on the reason.

Why is it just pela professora and not pela minha professora? Would minha change the meaning?

Both are correct:

  • pela professora = by the teacher (context usually makes it clear which teacher)
  • pela minha professora = by my teacher (explicitly marked as yours)

Adding minha:

  • makes it explicit that this is your teacher,
  • adds a bit of personal or possessive emphasis.

In many real contexts, pela professora is enough, because it’s obvious whose teacher is being talked about. If you wanted to stress that it is your teacher (and not, for example, another teacher), you could say:

  • Graças a uma rotina simples e a pequenas pausas, o meu progresso está a ser notado pela minha professora. ✅