Breakdown of Tu destacas-te por teres um desempenho com muito mérito.
tu
you
muito
much / very
ter
to have
um
a / an / some (all forms)
com
with
por
through / by / for / because of
o desempenho
the performance (efficiency, achievement)
destacar-se
to stand out
o mérito
the merit
Questions & Answers about Tu destacas-te por teres um desempenho com muito mérito.
Why is it teres instead of just the regular infinitive ter here?
The preposition por is used here to express the reason for standing out. Because we are specifically talking about you (tu) doing the action, Portuguese uses the personal infinitive. To make the tu form, we add -es to the base verb ter, making it teres.
Could I express this cause using porque instead of por?
Yes, but the grammar would change. Because por is a preposition, it is followed by the infinitive (teres). If you use porque, meaning because, you must use a standard present tense verb: porque tens um desempenho. Using por with the personal infinitive is a very natural Portuguese way to say because of doing something.
Why is there a -te attached to the end of destacas-te?
The verb for standing out or distinguishing oneself is destacar-se. It is a reflexive verb, meaning the action reflects back on the subject. Since the subject is tu, we use the reflexive pronoun te. Literally, the sentence is saying you distinguish yourself.
What exactly does desempenho mean in this context?
The word desempenho translates to performance, execution, or track record. In B1 Portuguese, it is the standard word used to talk about how well someone does their job, their duties, or a specific task.
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