Breakdown of A população da cidade cresce cada vez mais.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
mais
more
a cidade
the city
a vez
the time (occasion)
crescer
to grow up / to grow / increase
cada
each
a população
the population
cada vez mais
more and more (cada vez menos = less and less)
Questions & Answers about A população da cidade cresce cada vez mais.
Why use cada vez mais instead of just translating "more and more" word-for-word as mais e mais?
While you might occasionally hear mais e mais, cada vez mais is the most natural and standard way to express an ongoing increase in Portuguese. It literally translates to "each time more" and is the correct way to form progressive comparisons like "increasingly" or "more and more."
Does the phrase cada vez mais need to change because população is a feminine noun?
The English translation says "grows", but we often say "is growing" for trends. Can I use the continuous tense here in Portuguese?
Yes, you could absolutely say está a crescer (is growing), which is the standard continuous form in European Portuguese. However, the simple present tense cresce is also very commonly used to describe ongoing general trends over time, which is why it works perfectly here.
How would I change this sentence to say the population growth is slowing down?
To say "less and less" or "decreasingly", you use the exact same structure but swap mais for menos. You would say cada vez menos, making the sentence A população da cidade cresce cada vez menos.
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