Breakdown of A Ana continua a treinar, por mais que esteja cansada ao fim do dia.
Questions & Answers about A Ana continua a treinar, por mais que esteja cansada ao fim do dia.
In European Portuguese, it’s very common to put the definite article before a person’s first name:
- a Ana
- o João
- a Maria
It usually doesn’t translate to anything in English; it’s just a normal feature of the language, especially in everyday speech.
Key points:
- It agrees with gender: a for feminine names, o for masculine.
- It often signals familiarity or that the person is part of the shared context.
- In more formal contexts (official documents, news headlines, very formal writing), the article is often dropped: Ana continua a treinar…
So in natural European Portuguese, A Ana continua… sounds more typical than just Ana continua… in conversation.
No, they are different:
- The first a (in A Ana) is the definite article: a = the.
- The second a (in continua a treinar) is the preposition a, roughly to.
So:
- A Ana = grammatically the Ana → just Ana in English.
- continuar a + infinitive = to continue to + verb / to keep + -ing.
Other verbs that work the same way:
- começar a trabalhar – to start working
- voltar a treinar – to train again
- aprender a falar – to learn to speak
continua a treinar means she continues to train / she keeps training, stressing that she doesn’t stop.
Compare:
- A Ana treina. – Ana trains / works out (a general habit).
- A Ana continua a treinar. – Ana keeps training / carries on training, especially in spite of something (here: being tired).
So continua a treinar highlights continuation after some point where you might expect her to stop.
It would change the meaning.
- A Ana está a treinar. – She is training right now (progressive aspect, like she is training).
- A Ana continua a treinar. – She keeps training / she goes on training (despite some obstacle).
In your sentence, the important idea is the contrast with being tired:
- A Ana continua a treinar, por mais que esteja cansada…
Ana keeps training, even though she’s tired…
So continua a treinar is the better choice here.
Literally, por mais que is like “for more that”, but idiomatically it means:
- no matter how much, however much, or close to even though.
It introduces a concessive idea: something that could be an obstacle but isn’t.
Examples:
- Por mais que estude, não percebo.
No matter how much I study, I don’t understand. - Por mais que chova, vamos sair.
However much it rains / Even if it rains a lot, we’re going out.
After por mais que, Portuguese normally uses the subjunctive, which is why you get esteja.
esteja is the present subjunctive of estar (3rd person singular).
After por mais que, standard Portuguese requires the subjunctive mood, because you’re not just stating a simple fact; you’re presenting it as something that could act as an obstacle, but doesn’t stop the main action.
- Está cansada. – She is tired. (plain statement, indicative)
- Por mais que esteja cansada… – However tired she (may) be… (concessive, subjunctive)
So:
- ✅ por mais que esteja cansada – correct.
- ❌ por mais que está cansada – wrong / unnatural in standard Portuguese.
In standard, correct Portuguese, yes—it should be por mais que esteja cansada.
Native speakers might occasionally slip into the indicative in very informal speech, but as a learner you should stick to:
- subjunctive after por mais que, embora, mesmo que, etc.
More examples:
- Por mais que tente, não consigo. – No matter how much I try, I can’t do it.
- Por mais que estudes, o exame é difícil. – However much you study, the exam is hard.
- Por mais que esteja cansada, continua a treinar. – However tired she is, she keeps training.
Adjectives in Portuguese agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.
- Ana is feminine singular → cansada.
- If it were o João, you’d say cansado.
Examples:
- A Ana está cansada. – Ana is tired.
- O João está cansado. – João is tired.
- A Ana e a Maria estão cansadas. – Ana and Maria are tired.
- O João e o Pedro estão cansados. – João and Pedro are tired.
So in your sentence, cansada matches a Ana.
ao fim do dia means at the end of the day.
Breaking it down:
- ao = a + o → to/at + the
- do = de + o → of + the
So ao fim do dia = at the end of the day.
You might also hear no fim do dia (= em + o fim do dia). In most everyday contexts:
- ao fim do dia and no fim do dia are effectively synonyms.
A subtle nuance (not always important):
- ao fim do dia can sound a bit like “by the time the day is over”.
- no fim do dia is more just “at the end of the day (as a point in time)”.
But both are widely used.
Yes, that version is also correct:
- Por mais que esteja cansada ao fim do dia, a Ana continua a treinar.
- Por mais cansada que esteja ao fim do dia, a Ana continua a treinar.
Both are natural in European Portuguese. The difference is only in the structure:
por mais que + verb (subj.) + adjective
→ por mais que esteja cansada…por mais + adjective + que + verb (subj.)
→ por mais cansada que esteja…
The meaning is essentially the same:
“However tired she is at the end of the day, Ana keeps training.”
Yes, with small structural changes.
- With embora (+ subjunctive):
- A Ana continua a treinar, embora esteja cansada ao fim do dia.
Ana keeps training, although she is tired at the end of the day.
- With apesar de:
- A Ana continua a treinar, apesar do cansaço ao fim do dia.
(despite the tiredness at the end of the day – noun) - A Ana continua a treinar, apesar de estar cansada ao fim do dia.
(despite being tired at the end of the day – infinitive)
All are fine in European Portuguese.
por mais que focuses more on degree (“however tired”), while embora and apesar de are more neutral “although / despite”.