Breakdown of Neste mandato, o candidato prometer-nos-ia combater a corrupção.
em
in / on / at
a
to / at (direction)
este
this (este, esta, estes, estas)
o
him/it (m)
nos
us
prometer
to promise
o candidato
the candidate
o mandato
the term
combater
to combat
a corrupção
the corruption
Questions & Answers about Neste mandato, o candidato prometer-nos-ia combater a corrupção.
Why is nos stuck in the middle of the verb prometer-nos-ia?
Because the verb is in the conditional tense. In European Portuguese, when you attach an object pronoun like nos to a future or conditional verb, it splits the verb in half (a rule called mesoclisis). You put the pronoun between the full infinitive (prometer) and the conditional ending (-ia).
If the subject changes, how does the ending of prometer-nos-ia change?
The ending after the pronoun always matches the subject. Because the subject is o candidato (he), we use the ele/ela conditional ending -ia. If the subject were eles (they), it would become prometer-nos-iam.
Is it normal to have two verbs in a row like prometer-nos-ia combater without a preposition?
Yes! The verb prometer connects directly to a following infinitive action without needing joining prepositions like a or de. You simply use prometer followed immediately by the unconjugated verb, which is combater (to combat) in this case.
Why does the sentence start with Neste instead of just Em este?
As a quick refresher: in Portuguese, the preposition em (in/on/at) must contract with demonstrative words like este (this). So, em + este always combines into the single word Neste.
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