Breakdown of Cada espectador fica em silêncio durante o filme.
Questions & Answers about Cada espectador fica em silêncio durante o filme.
In Portuguese, cada (each) is grammatically singular, so it must be followed by a singular noun and a singular verb:
- cada espectador fica – each spectator stays
- cada pessoa faz – each person does
So even though you are talking about many people in reality, the grammar focuses on them one by one, so the verb stays in the 3rd person singular: fica, not ficam.
Yes, you can say:
- Cada espectador fica em silêncio…
- Todos os espectadores ficam em silêncio…
Both are correct, but they have a slightly different focus:
- cada espectador = highlights each individual person, one by one.
- todos os espectadores = highlights the group as a whole.
In many contexts, they will be understood in almost the same way, but cada is more individual, todos more collective.
Ficar often means to stay, to remain, to end up.
In this sentence, fica em silêncio suggests that each spectator stays / remains silent during the whole film. The idea is about maintaining that state for a period of time.
Estar em silêncio would just describe the state of being silent, without the nuance of remaining that way. You could say:
- Cada espectador está em silêncio durante o filme.
It is not wrong, but ficar em silêncio sounds more natural when you want to emphasise that they stay silent throughout the film.
The Portuguese present tense can express:
A habit / general rule
- Interpreted as: Each spectator stays silent during films (in general).
A situation that is true now / in this specific film
- Interpreted as: Right now, in this film, each spectator is staying silent.
Context decides which reading is intended. The sentence itself is compatible with both.
Ficar em silêncio is a very common collocation and sounds natural. Alternatives:
- estar em silêncio – more neutral: just describes the state of being silent.
- ficar calado – common, slightly more informal; calado focuses on not speaking.
- calar-se – to shut up / to go quiet (can sound stronger or more direct).
All are possible in the right context; for a neutral, descriptive sentence about behaviour in a cinema, ficar em silêncio is very natural.
Durante is the standard preposition for during / throughout a period of time:
- durante o filme – during the film
- durante a noite – during the night
Por is normally used with a duration amount, not with an event:
- por duas horas – for two hours
- por muito tempo – for a long time
Por o filme is ungrammatical, and pelo filme in this sense is not natural for time.
Enquanto means while and is used with a verb clause, not directly with a noun:
- enquanto o filme passa – while the film is playing
- enquanto estamos no cinema – while we are at the cinema
So for your sentence, durante o filme is the normal, correct choice.
In Portuguese, you almost always need an article before a singular countable noun. So:
- durante o filme – during the film
- durante um filme – during a film (some film, not specified)
Durante filme (without any article) is not natural in standard Portuguese.
The difference between o filme and um filme:
- o filme – a specific film that speaker and listener know about (or the film that is currently playing).
- um filme – any film, not specified: during a film / when a film is on.
In a real context, you choose the article based on whether the film is specific or generic.
Yes, that is perfectly correct and natural:
- Cada espectador fica em silêncio durante o filme.
- Durante o filme, cada espectador fica em silêncio.
The second version slightly emphasises the time frame durante o filme, but the meaning is basically the same.
What would sound odd is inserting durante o filme in the middle in a strange way, such as:
- Cada espectador durante o filme fica em silêncio.
This is grammatically possible but not very natural; speakers prefer the two versions above.
Espectador means spectator, viewer, member of the audience. It is used for:
- cinema audiences
- theatre audiences
- sports spectators in a stadium
- people watching a show, performance, etc.
Forms:
- masculine singular: o espectador
- masculine plural: os espectadores
- feminine singular: a espectadora
- feminine plural: as espectadoras
In mixed groups, Portuguese generally uses the masculine plural espectadores.
Yes, they are related but not identical:
- espectador(es) – individual people watching something (spectator(s)).
- público – the public / the audience as a group (collective):
- O público ficou em silêncio. – The audience stayed silent.
- audiência – can mean an audience, but also has specialised uses (e.g. TV ratings, a formal audience with someone important, or a court hearing).
For a cinema or theatre context, espectador(es) and público are the most common everyday words.
You can, and grammatically it is correct:
- O espectador fica em silêncio durante o filme.
This can be understood as a generic statement: the spectator (in general, any spectator) stays silent during the film.
However, if you want to clearly express the idea of each person individually, cada espectador is more explicit and more natural.
Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation:
espectador – / (i)ʃpɛktɐˈðoɾ /
- Rough guide: esh-PECK-tah-DOR (the final r is soft, often almost like a light r or very weak).
fica – /ˈfikɐ/
- Rough guide: FEE-kah (short, clear vowels).
filme – /ˈfiɫm(ɨ)/
- Rough guide: FEEL-m (final vowel is very reduced or almost disappears; the l is dark).
The stress is on:
- -dor in espectador
- fi- in fica and filme.