Breakdown of Ela escreve letras de música apaixonadas no caderno.
Questions & Answers about Ela escreve letras de música apaixonadas no caderno.
In Portuguese, letra de música literally means song lyric.
- letra on its own = letter (of the alphabet) or handwriting
- música on its own = a song or music in general
To say lyrics, Portuguese typically uses the structure:
- a letra da música = the lyric of the song
- letras de música = song lyrics (in general)
If you said Ela escreve músicas apaixonadas, that would usually mean She writes romantic songs (music + lyrics), not specifically the lyrics written in a notebook.
So letras de música is the natural way to say song lyrics.
Because música here is not being counted; it’s defining the type of letras:
- letras de música = lyrics of music / song lyrics (type)
This is like English pieces of furniture: pieces is plural, furniture stays singular.
If you say letras de músicas, it can sound like lyrics of (different) songs, but in most neutral, general contexts people just say letras de música.
Adjectives in Portuguese agree with the noun in gender and number.
- letra is feminine singular → letra apaixonada
- letras is feminine plural → letras apaixonadas
So:
- masc. sing.: apaixonado
- fem. sing.: apaixonada
- masc. plural: apaixonados
- fem. plural: apaixonadas
Because letras is feminine plural, the adjective must be apaixonadas.
The default position of adjectives in Portuguese is after the noun:
- casa grande = big house
- história interessante = interesting story
So letras de música apaixonadas is the normal, neutral order.
Placing the adjective before the noun is possible but usually:
- sounds more poetic/literary, or
- adds some emotional or subjective emphasis
So apaixonadas letras de música would sound more like a stylistic, poetic phrase, not everyday speech.
In this context, apaixonadas means:
- romantic / about love / full of passion, not literally “in love”
So letras de música apaixonadas ≈ romantic song lyrics or love-song lyrics.
If you say Ela está apaixonada, that means She is in love (herself).
But letras apaixonadas describes the emotional tone of the lyrics, not the emotional state of the person.
no is a contraction:
- em (in/on/at) + o (the, masculine singular) → no
So:
- no caderno = em + o caderno = in the notebook
Similar contractions:
- em + a → na (na mesa = on the table)
- em + os → nos
- em + as → nas
Here, caderno is masculine, so em o caderno becomes no caderno.
Portuguese (especially in Portugal) often drops possessive pronouns when it’s clear from context:
- Ela escreve no caderno.
Literally: She writes in the notebook.
But in a typical context, this is understood as her notebook.
If you really need to make it explicit or contrast with someone else’s, you can say:
- Ela escreve no seu caderno. = in her notebook
- Ela escreve no meu caderno. = in my notebook
So the sentence without seu is still natural and often preferred when the owner is obvious.
Yes. Portuguese is a “pro‑drop” language: the subject pronoun can often be omitted if the verb ending makes the subject clear.
- Ela escreve… = She writes…
- Escreve… = [She] writes… (subject understood from context)
Including Ela:
- can sound a bit more explicit or emphatic (e.g. contrast: Ela escreve, ele não escreve.)
- is also fine in neutral sentences; it’s not wrong.
So both are grammatically correct; omitting it is very common in natural speech and writing.
Difference:
- de música = of music in a general / non‑specific sense
- da música = of the song / of the music in a specific sense
Examples:
- Gosto de música. = I like music (in general).
- Gosto da música. = I like the song / that music (specific).
Here, letras de música is a general type: song lyrics, so we use de música, without the article.
Technically letras can mean letters (of the alphabet), but:
- In the fixed expression letras de música, native speakers almost always interpret it as song lyrics.
For letters in the sense of written correspondence (a letter to a friend), the word is carta:
- carta de amor = love letter
- escrever cartas = to write letters
So letras de música is the natural, unambiguous phrase for lyrics.
The Portuguese presente do indicativo covers both:
habitual / general action:
- Ela escreve letras de música.
= She writes song lyrics.
- Ela escreve letras de música.
action happening now, if the context makes it clear:
- (Right now in front of us) Ela escreve no caderno.
= She is writing in the notebook.
- (Right now in front of us) Ela escreve no caderno.
If you really want to stress right now in European Portuguese, you can use:
- Ela está a escrever letras de música apaixonadas no caderno.
= She is writing passionate song lyrics in the notebook (right now).
But the simple escreve is very flexible and common.
Yes, that word order is grammatically correct, but the focus shifts slightly.
Ela escreve letras de música apaixonadas no caderno.
→ Neutral order; focus on what she writes (passionate song lyrics), then where (in the notebook).Ela escreve no caderno letras de música apaixonadas.
→ Slight extra focus on where she writes (in the notebook), then what it is that she writes there.
Both are understandable and acceptable; the original version is more typical.
- caderno = notebook / exercise book (blank or lined pages to write in)
- livro = book (a finished, published book)
- caderneta (in PT‑PT) can be:
- a small notebook, or
- a report book / record book (e.g. school report booklet)
So no caderno specifically suggests she’s writing these lyrics in a notebook, not in a printed book.