A maré sobe depressa naquele trilho costeiro, por isso a guia avisa o grupo para voltar cedo.

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Questions & Answers about A maré sobe depressa naquele trilho costeiro, por isso a guia avisa o grupo para voltar cedo.

Why do we say a maré with the definite article, instead of just maré?

In European Portuguese, you normally use the definite article with most singular countable nouns, even when English would leave it out.

  • a maré = the tide
  • o sol = the sun
  • a água = the water

So a maré sobe literally is the tide rises.
Leaving the article off (maré sobe) is not natural here in standard Portuguese. You only drop the article in specific fixed expressions or headlines, not in a normal sentence like this.

Why is it sobe (simple present) and not something like está a subir (present continuous)?

Both are possible, but they express slightly different ideas:

  • a maré sobe depressa – simple present; can describe:

    • a general fact/habitual behaviour: The tide rises quickly (there, in general)
    • or a present process in a neutral way, similar to English rises / is rising in context.
  • a maré está a subir depressa – present continuous; focuses more clearly on what is happening right now.

In this sentence, the guide’s warning sounds like it’s based on a known characteristic of that area, so the simple present (sobe) fits very well. European Portuguese also uses the simple present quite a lot where English would often choose a continuous form.

What does depressa mean exactly, and how is it different from rápido / rapidamente?

depressa is an adverb meaning quickly / fast.

  • A maré sobe depressa.The tide rises quickly.

You could also say:

  • A maré sobe rapidamente. – same meaning, a bit more “formal”/neutral.
  • A maré sobe rápido. – common in speech, especially in Brazil, but in European Portuguese grammar rápido is more naturally an adjective (though many people do use it as an adverb in everyday language).

Also note the difference:

  • depressafast/quickly (speed)
  • com pressain a hurry (someone is rushing)

So anda depressa = walk quickly,
but anda com pressa = walks in a hurry / is in a rush.

How is naquele formed, and why use naquele instead of just em aquele or nesse?

naquele is a contraction:

  • em (in/on/at) + aquele (that, masculine singular)
    em + aquele = naquele

So naquele trilho costeiro = on that coastal trail (over there / that one we’re not close to).

Why aquele and not esse?

  • este / nesta / neste... – near the speaker (this)
  • esse / nessa / nesse... – near the listener or just mentioned (that)
  • aquele / naquela... – far from both, or more “distant” in time/context (that over there / that one (further away))

Here, naquele suggests a specific trail that is not immediately here, e.g. a known trail in that area, or something the speaker treats as “over there” in space or context. In many real-life contexts, nesse trilho costeiro could also work, depending on what is being referred to.

What does trilho costeiro mean, and is there any difference from Brazilian Portuguese?

trilho costeiro literally means coastal trail / coastal path.

  • trilho – path, trail (commonly used in European Portuguese for hiking paths)
  • costeiro – coastal, related to the coast

In Brazil, you’re more likely to hear trilha instead of trilho in this sense:

  • PT-PT: um trilho costeiro
  • PT-BR: uma trilha costeira

So if you’re focusing on European Portuguese, trilho is the more natural choice for a hiking trail.

Why is there a comma before por isso?

por isso is a linking expression meaning so / therefore / that’s why. It introduces a new clause that gives a consequence:

  • A maré sobe depressa naquele trilho costeiro, por isso a guia avisa o grupo…The tide rises quickly on that coastal path, so the guide warns the group…

In writing, you normally separate this kind of connector with a comma to show the break between cause and consequence, similar to:

  • The tide rises quickly there, so the guide warns them…

You could also start a new sentence:

  • A maré sobe depressa naquele trilho costeiro. Por isso, a guia avisa o grupo…
What’s the difference between por isso, então, and porque?

All three are common, but they do different jobs:

  • por issoso / therefore / that’s why (introduces a consequence)

    • A maré sobe depressa, por isso a guia avisa o grupo.
  • entãoso / then / in that case (often more conversational, can show consequence or sequence)

    • A maré sobe depressa, então a guia avisa o grupo. – acceptable, a bit more informal.
  • porquebecause (introduces a cause, not a consequence)

    • A guia avisa o grupo porque a maré sobe depressa.The guide warns the group because the tide rises quickly.

So por isso and então look forward (consequence), porque looks backward (reason).

Why is it a guia with the article, and what does that tell us about gender?

guia is a noun that can be either masculine or feminine, depending on the person:

  • o guiathe (male) guide
  • a guiathe (female) guide

The form guia itself doesn’t change; only the article shows the gender.
In the sentence, a guia avisa o grupo… tells us the guide is female.

Like with a maré, professions and roles in European Portuguese usually take the definite article:

  • a professora – the (female) teacher
  • o médico – the (male) doctor
  • a guia – the (female) guide
Why is it avisa o grupo and not avisa ao grupo or avisa o grupo de?

The verb avisar works like to warn / to notify and typically takes a direct object for the person:

  • avisar alguém – to warn someone

So:

  • a guia avisa o grupothe guide warns/notifies the group.

You can then add what they’re warned about or to do:

  • avisar alguém de alguma coisa – warn someone about something
    • A guia avisa o grupo do perigo. – warns the group about the danger.
  • avisar alguém para fazer alguma coisa – tell/warn someone to do something
    • A guia avisa o grupo para voltar cedo. – tells/warns the group to return early.

Using avisar ao grupo is not standard here; o grupo is the direct object, so no a is needed.

Why is it para voltar cedo and not para que o grupo volte cedo?

Both are grammatically correct, but they have different structures:

  1. Infinitive construction (used in the sentence):

    • a guia avisa o grupo para voltar cedo
    • literally: warns the group to return early
    • The understood subject of voltar is o grupo (the same as the object of avisa).
  2. Subjunctive clause:

    • a guia avisa o grupo para que (o grupo) volte cedo
    • literally: warns the group so that they may return early.

In everyday speech, the infinitive (para voltar cedo) is simpler and very common when the subject is clear from context.
The para que + subjunctive version can sound a bit more formal or explicit.

Can cedo go somewhere else in the sentence? Why is it placed after voltar?

cedo is an adverb meaning early. In European Portuguese, short adverbs like this most often go after the verb:

  • voltar cedo – return early
  • chegar cedo – arrive early
  • levantar-se cedo – get up early

You could move cedo for emphasis in some contexts, but para voltar cedo is the default, neutral order and sounds most natural.

Compare:

  • para cedo voltar – technically possible but unusual/poetic in modern Portuguese.
  • para voltar mais cedoto return earlier (than usual/someone else).
If I want to replace o grupo with a pronoun, what happens to the word order in European Portuguese?

With object pronouns, European Portuguese normally uses clitic pronouns attached to the verb.
If o grupo is replaced by o (it), the sentence becomes:

  • A maré sobe depressa naquele trilho costeiro, por isso a guia avisa‑o para voltar cedo.

Key points:

  • avisa + o → avisa‑o (a hyphen after the verb, pronoun after the verb here because there is a preceding word por isso starting the clause – this is the usual pattern in EP).
  • If you put the subject first with no preceding element that attracts the pronoun, you could also say:
    • A guia o avisa…? – Not correct in European Portuguese.
    • In EP it’s either a guia avisa‑o or, in some contexts, a guia o vai avisar is avoided; you’d prefer a guia vai avisá‑lo.

If you were talking about them (people), not the group as a grammatical singular, you might hear:

  • …por isso a guia avisa‑os para voltar cedo.warns them… (pronoun matches “them” as masculine plural).

In Brazilian Portuguese, pronoun placement and forms are different (e.g. a guia avisa eles is common there), but for European Portuguese, avisa‑o / avisa‑os after the verb is the natural pattern here.