Breakdown of Para cuidar da saúde mental, ela faz meditação em silêncio todos os dias.
Questions & Answers about Para cuidar da saúde mental, ela faz meditação em silêncio todos os dias.
In Portuguese, the verb cuidar normally takes the preposition de when it means to take care of:
- cuidar de alguém / de algo – to take care of someone / something
When you add a definite noun, you also use the definite article:
- cuidar de a saúde mental → cuidar da saúde mental
So the structure here is:
- para (in order to) + cuidar (infinitive verb) + de (preposition required by cuidar) + a saúde mental (with article)
These combine to “Para cuidar da saúde mental”.
“cuidar a saúde mental” is not idiomatic in this sense. You might see cuidar alguém in certain fixed expressions (more in European Portuguese with a slightly different nuance), but for taking care of something in general, cuidar de is the standard.
“Da” is a contraction of:
- de + a → da
Here:
- cuidar de = to take care of
- a saúde mental = the mental health (feminine singular)
Putting them together:
- cuidar de a saúde mental → cuidar da saúde mental
So “da” carries:
- the preposition de (required by cuidar), and
- the definite article a (the) for the feminine noun saúde.
You can, but the meaning and focus change slightly.
Para cuidar da saúde mental, ela faz meditação…
= In order to take care of her mental health, she meditates…
Here the purpose is the action “cuidar da saúde mental”, and meditation is the method.Para a saúde mental, ela faz meditação…
= For mental health, she meditates…
This sounds more like you’re talking about the topic or the area of mental health and saying what she does in that area. It’s understandable and grammatical, but less precise as a purpose clause.
The original version with “para cuidar de…” is the more natural way to express in order to take care of….
Both are grammatically correct:
- Ela faz meditação em silêncio todos os dias.
- Ela medita em silêncio todos os dias.
Differences:
fazer meditação = to do meditation
This is very common and sounds a bit more colloquial/natural in everyday speech, especially when talking about practices or routines (compare fazer exercício, fazer yoga).meditar = to meditate
Also perfectly correct. Using “ela medita” might sound a bit more direct or “dictionary-like”, but it is absolutely fine in both European and Brazilian Portuguese.
So “faz meditação” is idiomatic and frequent; “medita” is a good, slightly more concise alternative.
In Portuguese, when talking about an activity in a general, habitual way, you often use the singular noun without an article, especially after verbs like fazer:
- fazer meditação – to do meditation
- fazer exercício – to exercise
- fazer yoga – to do yoga
- fazer ginástica – to do gymnastics
Adding an article can change the feel:
- fazer a meditação usually refers to a specific meditation (for example, the one from today’s session or a particular guided meditation).
In this sentence, the idea is a general daily practice, so “faz meditação” (no article) is the natural choice.
All three forms exist, but they are used differently:
em silêncio – in silence
- Very common, neutral, and idiomatic.
- Describes the manner of the action:
Ela faz meditação em silêncio. – She meditates in silence.
no silêncio – in the silence
- em + o silêncio → no silêncio
- Emphasises a particular silence as a setting (the silence of the night, of the room, etc.):
Ela medita no silêncio da madrugada. – She meditates in the silence of the early morning.
silenciosamente – silently
- An adverb, grammatically correct but sounds more formal or literary in this context.
- Ela medita silenciosamente todos os dias. – OK, but less idiomatic in casual speech.
For a natural, everyday sentence about how she meditates, “em silêncio” is the best choice.
Yes. In Portuguese, time expressions like “todos os dias” are quite flexible. These are all correct, with slightly different emphasis:
Todos os dias, ela faz meditação em silêncio.
(Time comes first; you’re stressing the frequency.)Ela faz meditação em silêncio todos os dias.
(Very natural; time at the end is extremely common.)Ela todos os dias faz meditação em silêncio.
(Also correct; sounds a bit more marked/emphatic in speech.)
In everyday usage, the original version (time at the end) and the version with time at the beginning are the most common.
Details:
todos os dias – every day
- todo must agree in gender and number and often takes an article:
- todo o dia – all day / the whole day
- todos os dias – every day (plural, with article)
This is the most common way to say every day.
- todo must agree in gender and number and often takes an article:
todos dias – incorrect in standard European Portuguese in this meaning
- You need the article: todos os dias, not todos dias.
cada dia – each day
- Grammatically correct, but it slightly changes nuance:
- todos os dias = regularly, habitually, every single day
- cada dia = each day individually; can sound a bit more reflective or emphasise each day as distinct.
- Grammatically correct, but it slightly changes nuance:
In this context of daily routine, “todos os dias” is the natural, idiomatic choice.
Yes, grammatically you can omit “ela”:
- Para cuidar da saúde mental, faz meditação em silêncio todos os dias.
Portuguese (including European Portuguese) is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are often dropped because the verb ending (faz) already tells you the person (3rd person singular).
However:
- Without context, “faz meditação” could be he/she/it does meditation or even formal you (o senhor / a senhora) do meditation.
- Including “ela” makes it immediately clear that we’re talking about she.
So:
- With “ela” – clearer, especially in an isolated sentence or for learners.
- Without “ela” – perfectly natural if the subject is already clear from previous context.
In Portuguese, the simple present is widely used for:
- habitual actions
- routines
- general truths
So:
- Ela faz meditação em silêncio todos os dias.
= She does / practices meditation every day (habit).
If you say:
- Ela está a fazer meditação em silêncio.
(European Portuguese progressive form)
then you’re describing what she is doing right now:
- She is meditating in silence at this moment.
So, for a daily routine, the simple present “faz” is exactly the right tense. The progressive “está a fazer” is used for ongoing, current actions.
In Portuguese, unlike in English, adjectives usually come after the noun:
- saúde mental – mental health
- casa velha – old house
- livro interessante – interesting book
Putting “mental” before “saúde” (mental saúde) would be incorrect.
Sometimes adjectives can go before the noun for stylistic or meaning changes, but “mental” is not one of those that commonly moves; “saúde mental” is the normal, fixed order.
Yes, it is standard and recommended here.
- Para cuidar da saúde mental, ela faz meditação…
“Para cuidar da saúde mental” is an infinitive clause expressing purpose (in order to take care of mental health). When such a clause comes before the main clause, Portuguese normally uses a comma to separate them.
If the purpose clause comes after, the comma is usually dropped:
- Ela faz meditação em silêncio todos os dias para cuidar da saúde mental.
So:
- Fronted purpose clause → use a comma.
- Purpose clause at the end → generally no comma.