Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Para eles continuarem motivados, o chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso. - For them to stay motivated, the boss praises each small progress.

Para eles continuarem motivados, o chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso.

For them to stay motivated, the boss praises each small progress.

Breakdown of Para eles continuarem motivados, o chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso.

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Questions & Answers about Para eles continuarem motivados, o chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso.

Why is it continuarem and not continuar after para?

Portuguese has something called the personal infinitive (infinitivo pessoal).

continuar = plain infinitive (no subject marked)
continuarem = personal infinitive, 3rd person plural (they)

You use the personal infinitive when:

The verb is in the infinitive, and
It has its own subject, usually different from the subject of the main verb.

In the sentence:

Main clause: o chefe elogia (subject: o chefe)
Subordinate clause: (para) eles continuarem motivados (subject: eles)

Because the subject is eles, the verb takes the plural personal infinitive form: continuarem.

Other examples with continuar in the personal infinitive:

para eu continuar
para tu continuares
para ele/ela continuar
para nós continuarmos
para vocês continuarem
para eles/elas continuarem

Could I say “Para continuar motivados…” instead of “Para eles continuarem motivados…”?

You can say:

Para continuarem motivados, o chefe elogia… (without eles)
Or, less precisely: Para continuar motivados, o chefe elogia…

Differences:

Para continuarem motivados…
- Still clearly plural from continuarem and motivados, even if eles is omitted.
- Fully grammatical and natural.
Para continuar motivados…
- Uses the impersonal infinitive (continuar).
- Grammatically possible, but more ambiguous: who is supposed to stay motivated?
- Native speakers might still understand it as “they”, but continuarem is more precise and more standard when the subject is “eles”.

So the most natural options are:

Para eles continuarem motivados… (very clear)
Para continuarem motivados… (clear enough, especially in context)

What’s the difference between “Para eles continuarem motivados” and “Para que eles continuem motivados”?

Both express purpose: in order for them to stay motivated.

Para eles continuarem motivados…
- Uses para + personal infinitive.
- Very common and natural in both spoken and written European Portuguese.
- Slightly more direct/simpler sounding.
Para que eles continuem motivados…
- Uses para que + present subjunctive.
- Often feels a bit more formal or “bookish”.
- Very correct and common in writing.

Meaning-wise, in this sentence, there’s no real difference. It’s mainly a stylistic choice.

(What you cannot say is “para que eles continuarem motivados” – you don’t mix para que with the infinitive like that.)

Why does motivados end in -os?

Motivados agrees with the implied subject eles:

eles → masculine plural → adjectives end in -os
motivados = motivated (masculine plural)

If the group were all women:

Para elas continuarem motivadas…

General pattern:

ele está motivado (masc. singular)
ela está motivada (fem. singular)
eles estão motivados (masc. plural or mixed group)
elas estão motivadas (fem. plural)

Is the pronoun eles really necessary? Could I say “Para continuarem motivados…”?

No, eles is not strictly necessary.

Para eles continuarem motivados…
- Pronoun is explicit; very clear that “they” is the subject.
Para continuarem motivados…
- The verb ending -em (continuarem) and the adjective motivados already show it’s third person plural.
- This is also perfectly natural, especially if “eles” was mentioned just before.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the form of the verb makes the subject clear, so:

Both “Para eles continuarem motivados…”
And “Para continuarem motivados…”

are correct and idiomatic.

Why is elogia in the present tense? Could it be something like elogiou or elogiará?

Elogia is present indicative (he/she praises).

In Portuguese, the present tense is often used for:

habitual actions
- O chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso.
  → The boss praises every little bit of progress (as a regular practice).

If you changed the tense:

elogiou (past, “praised”)
- Refers to something that already happened:
  - Yesterday the boss praised every little bit of progress.
elogiará (future, “will praise”)
- Refers to something that will happen:
  - Tomorrow the boss will praise every little bit of progress.

In the original sentence, the idea is a general policy or habit, so present tense is the natural choice.

Can I move the clause and say: “O chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso para eles continuarem motivados.”?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct:

Para eles continuarem motivados, o chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso.
O chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso para eles continuarem motivados.

Both mean the same. Differences:

Starting with “Para…” puts more emphasis on the purpose.
Putting “para…” at the end feels slightly more neutral and is very common in speech.

In writing, you usually put a comma when the “para…” clause comes first (as in the original), and often omit it when it comes last:

Para eles continuarem motivados, o chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso.
O chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso para eles continuarem motivados.

What exactly does elogiar mean? Is it like “to congratulate”?

Elogiar means to praise, to compliment, to speak well of.

O chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso.
→ The boss praises / compliments every little bit of progress.

Compare with related verbs:

felicitar (alguém por algo) = to congratulate (someone for something)
- O chefe felicitou-os pelo bom trabalho.
  → The boss congratulated them on their good work.
parabenizar = also “to congratulate”, but much more common in Brazilian than in European Portuguese.

So:

elogiar ≈ praise, compliment
felicitar / parabenizar ≈ congratulate (usually on a success, achievement, birthday, etc.)

Why do we use para here and not por?

Para here expresses purpose: “in order to”.

Para eles continuarem motivados, o chefe elogia…
→ The boss praises them in order for them to stay motivated.

In Portuguese:

para + infinitive / clause → goal / purpose
- Estudo para passar no exame. (I study in order to pass the exam.)
por usually indicates cause, reason, means, duration, etc.
- Foi elogiado por trabalhar bem. (He was praised for working well / because he worked well.)

Using por in place of para in this sentence would be wrong or at least very odd, because we want to express purpose, not cause.

What’s the nuance of “cada pequeno progresso”? How is cada different from todo?

cada = each / every (considered one by one)
todo can mean all / the whole / every, depending on context.

Cada pequeno progresso = each little bit of progress, every small improvement individually.

Contrast:

cada pequeno progresso
- Highlights individual instances of progress.
todo o progresso
- “All the progress” (as a whole, not item by item).
todo pequeno progresso
- Grammatically possible, but unusual / slightly awkward in this context. You’d be more likely to say “todo o pequeno progresso que fazem” or just “todo o progresso”.

In this sentence, “cada pequeno progresso” is the most natural way to say “every little bit of progress”.

Is progresso countable in Portuguese? Why can you say “cada pequeno progresso”?

Progresso can be both:

Uncountable:
- Fizemos muito progresso.
  → We made a lot of progress.
Countable, especially with words like cada, um, dois, etc.:
- cada pequeno progresso = each small step forward
- os progressos que fizemos este ano = the improvements we made this year

In “cada pequeno progresso”, you’re treating progresso as a unit of improvement, which is completely natural in Portuguese.

Could I say “elogia cada progresso pequeno” instead of “cada pequeno progresso”?

It would sound strange.

In Portuguese, the position of adjectives often changes the feel:

pequeno progresso (adjective before noun)
- Neutral, natural collocation for “small progress”.
progresso pequeno (adjective after noun)
- Feels more marked, contrastive or evaluative, like “progress which is (only) small”.
- In this sentence, “cada progresso pequeno” sounds awkward and less idiomatic.

So:

✅ cada pequeno progresso → natural and idiomatic
⚠️ cada progresso pequeno → grammatically possible, but not natural here

Is this sentence specifically European Portuguese, or would it also be used in Brazilian Portuguese?

The sentence is perfectly understandable and acceptable in both European and Brazilian Portuguese:

Para eles continuarem motivados, o chefe elogia cada pequeno progresso.

Minor notes:

Both varieties use para + infinitivo pessoal (continuarem) and this structure is natural in both.
Brazilians might also frequently say:
- Para que eles continuem motivados, o chefe elogia… (with the subjunctive)
Vocabulary (chefe, elogiar, progresso) and grammar are shared.

So, while you were told it’s Portuguese from Portugal, a Brazilian would also find it completely normal.