Breakdown of A parteira diz que ela está prestes a dar à luz.
ela
she
dizer
to say
que
that (conjunction)
a parteira
the midwife
Questions & Answers about A parteira diz que ela está prestes a dar à luz.
Could we use 'está para' instead of 'está prestes a' in this sentence?
Yes, both expressions mean 'about to' or 'on the verge of'. However, estar prestes a emphasizes that the action is extremely imminent, happening at any second. You could definitely use está para dar à luz, which is very common in everyday speech, but prestes a adds a slightly stronger sense of urgency.
What is the literal translation of the expression dar à luz?
It literally means 'to give to the light'. This is the standard Portuguese idiom for 'to give birth'.
Why does dar à luz have a grave accent on the à?
The grave accent shows a contraction between the preposition a (to) and the feminine definite article a (the) before the feminine noun luz (light). It merges them so you are literally saying 'to give to the light'.
Why is está in the normal indicative mood instead of the subjunctive after diz que?
The verb dizer (to say) only triggers the subjunctive when it is used as a command (for example, 'tell her to wait'). Because the midwife is just reporting a fact or stating information, the normal indicative mood is correct here.