Word
Na infância, eu tinha medo de falar em público.
Meaning
During childhood, I was afraid of speaking in public.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Na infância, eu tinha medo de falar em público.
Why is it na infância and not just em infância?
Because na is the contraction of em + a.
- infância is a feminine noun
- so em a infância becomes na infância
This is very common in Portuguese:
- em + o = no
- em + a = na
- em + os = nos
- em + as = nas
So na infância literally has the structure in the childhood, but in natural English it corresponds to in childhood or during childhood.
What does na infância mean exactly?
It means during childhood or in childhood.
It refers to a period of life, not a specific moment. In this sentence, it sets the time frame for the rest of the idea.
Similar Portuguese expressions include:
- na adolescência = in adolescence
- na juventude = in youth
- na velhice = in old age
So Na infância, eu tinha medo... means something like When I was a child / During my childhood, I was afraid...
Why is the verb tinha used here?