Às vezes parece impossível; ainda assim, no fundo eu acredito que vou conseguir.

Sometimes it seems impossible; even so, deep down I believe I will manage it.

Breakdown of Às vezes parece impossível; ainda assim, no fundo eu acredito que vou conseguir.

• eu: I
• ir: to go
• que: that
• às vezes: sometimes

Questions & Answers about Às vezes parece impossível; ainda assim, no fundo eu acredito que vou conseguir.

What does Às vezes literally mean, and why is there a grave accent (à) and an s? Is it different from as vezes without an accent?

Às vezes means sometimes.

• Literal structure:

  • a (preposition to/at) + as (feminine plural article the) → às (with grave accent)
  • vezes = times
    → Literally: “at the times”, idiomatically “sometimes”.

• Why the grave accent (à):
  In Portuguese, à(s) often shows a contraction of a + a(s). Here:

  • a (preposition) + as (article) → às.

• Why the s:
  Because vezes is plural (times), the article as is also plural → às vezes.

• Is as vezes (without the accent) correct?
  Not in this meaning.

  • Às vezes (with accent) = sometimes (idiomatic expression).
  • As vezes (no accent) would mean literally the times, as the subject/object in a sentence, and sounds odd in this context.

So, if you want to say sometimes, always write Às vezes (with the accent).

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Why is there no subject before ? Shouldn’t it be something like ?