Breakdown of A Ana detesta filmes de terror, por isso vê só comédias leves.
Questions & Answers about A Ana detesta filmes de terror, por isso vê só comédias leves.
In European Portuguese it’s very common to use the definite article before people’s names:
- A Ana = Ana (literally: the Ana)
- O João = João (literally: the João)
This article doesn’t translate into English; it’s just a normal part of the language, especially in informal speech and writing.
You can also see the name without the article (Ana detesta filmes de terror…), but:
- With the article (A Ana): slightly more colloquial/natural in everyday European Portuguese.
- Without the article: feels a bit more formal, literary, or neutral, depending on context.
So both are grammatically correct; A Ana is simply the more typical choice in European Portuguese conversation.
Both detestar and odiar can translate as “to hate”, and here you could say:
- A Ana detesta filmes de terror…
- A Ana odeia filmes de terror…
Differences:
- detestar: very common in everyday speech, slightly softer sounding than odiar, similar to “really dislike / can’t stand”.
- odiar: stronger word, closer to intense “hate”, but also used normally.
In this sentence they’re interchangeable; the choice is mainly about tone and style, not grammar.
Filmes de terror literally means “films of terror”, and it’s the normal way to say “horror films / horror movies”.
Portuguese often uses noun + de + noun to express a type or category:
- filmes de terror – horror movies
- filmes de ação – action movies
- sopa de tomate – tomato soup
- salada de fruta – fruit salad
You can find adjectives like terrorífico (terrifying), but filmes terroríficos would mean “terrifying films” in a more descriptive sense, not the specific horror genre. For the genre, filmes de terror is the standard expression.
In this sentence, por isso is a connector meaning “therefore / so / for that reason”:
- A Ana detesta filmes de terror, por isso vê só comédias leves.
“Ana hates horror movies, so she only watches light comedies.”
Compare:
- porque = because (introduces a reason)
- Ela só vê comédias leves porque detesta filmes de terror.
“She only watches light comedies because she hates horror movies.”
- Ela só vê comédias leves porque detesta filmes de terror.
- por isso = so / therefore (introduces a result)
- Ela detesta filmes de terror, por isso só vê comédias leves.
- então can also mean so / then, but is more informal and has several uses. In many spoken contexts you could hear:
- …então só vê comédias leves.
Here, por isso is slightly more neutral/formal than então and is a neat way to show cause → result.
Vê is the 3rd person singular present tense of ver (to see / to watch).
- ver – to see / to watch
- eu vejo – I see
- tu vês – you see (informal singular)
- ele / ela vê – he / she sees
- nós vemos – we see
- eles / elas veem – they see
The accent in vê:
- marks the stressed vowel ê and the open/closed sound.
- distinguishes it from what would otherwise look like a different pattern.
- follows the regular accent rules for stressed monosyllables like dê, trêS (numbers), etc.
In this context, vê corresponds to “(she) watches” in English: a habitual present (“she watches (in general)”).
Portuguese is a “null-subject” language: subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb form already shows who the subject is.
- The verb ending and form indicate the subject:
- vê = he/she/you (formal) see(s)
We know it’s Ana / she because:
- A Ana is mentioned at the start of the sentence.
- There’s no change of subject signaled later.
- So vê naturally refers back to Ana.
You could say:
- A Ana detesta filmes de terror, por isso ela vê só comédias leves.
That’s grammatically correct, but the ela is usually unnecessary and often dropped unless you want to emphasize it or avoid ambiguity.
Both orders are possible, but there is a difference in emphasis.
Por isso só vê comédias leves.
- Most neutral way to say: “So she only watches light comedies.”
- Focus is on the verb: what she does is “only watch” that type.
Por isso vê só comédias leves.
- Very similar meaning, but emphasizes more strongly that the only thing she watches is light comedies (nothing else).
- Slightly more contrastive: she watches only light comedies, not anything heavier.
In everyday speech, “por isso só vê comédias leves” may sound a bit more typical, but “vê só comédias leves” is correct and understandable; it simply shifts the rhythmic and emphatic focus a bit.
In both cases, só here = only, limiting the noun phrase comédias leves.
Both can mean “only”, but they differ in tone and style:
só
- Very common in spoken, informal Portuguese.
- Can mean only / just.
- Ex.: Ela só vê comédias leves. – She only / just watches light comedies.
apenas
- More neutral or slightly formal in tone.
- Common in writing, news, more formal speech.
- Ex.: Ela vê apenas comédias leves. – She only watches light comedies.
You can usually swap só and apenas without changing the basic meaning, but só sounds more colloquial, apenas more careful or formal.
In Portuguese, the default position for adjectives is after the noun:
- comédias leves – light comedies
- filme interessante – interesting film
- livro caro – expensive book
Adjectives before the noun do exist, but they often add a nuance (more subjective, emotional, or stylistic), for example:
- uma leve comédia – literally “a light comedy”, but sounds more poetic or stylistic, like something you’d find in a review, not in neutral speech.
So comédias leves is the standard, neutral way to say “light comedies”.
Leve literally means “light” as in not heavy (the opposite of pesado – heavy):
- uma mala leve – a light suitcase
- um casaco leve – a light coat
But figuratively, it’s also used for things that are not intense, not serious, not heavy in content or mood:
- comédia leve – a light comedy (easy-going, not deep, not dark)
- conversa leve – light conversation
- música leve – light music, easy listening
So in comédias leves, it suggests easy, feel-good, not emotionally heavy comedies.
The comma separates two clauses:
- A Ana detesta filmes de terror – main clause (cause)
- por isso vê só comédias leves – main clause (result), introduced by the connector por isso.
In Portuguese, it’s very common (and usually preferred) to put a comma before connectors like:
- por isso – so / therefore
- por isso é que – that’s why
- mas – but
- porém – however
So the comma here marks the pause and the transition from reason to consequence.
Both are in the plural because we’re talking about her preferences in general, not one specific film or comedy:
- filmes de terror – horror films (in general)
- comédias leves – light comedies (in general)
That’s very natural when describing what someone likes, dislikes, or usually watches:
- Ela gosta de filmes românticos. – She likes romantic movies.
- Ele odeia dramas. – He hates dramas.
You could use the singular if you were being more specific:
- A Ana detesta um filme de terror que viu ontem. – Ana hates a horror movie she saw yesterday.
- Ela viu uma comédia leve na semana passada. – She saw a light comedy last week.
But for habitual preferences, the plural is the norm.
In Portuguese (like in English), the simple present can express habits and general truths, not only actions happening “right now”.
Here:
- A Ana detesta filmes de terror
- …por isso vê só comédias leves.
describe:
- a general preference (she hates horror movies)
- a habitual action (so she only watches light comedies).
If you wanted “right now” specifically, you’d usually use the present continuous:
- A Ana está a ver uma comédia leve.
“Ana is watching a light comedy (right now).”
In this sentence, the present simple is clearly habitual, not “at this very moment”.