Question 1

Why do we use pode here instead of consegue or sabe?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, we are talking about game rules and permission: nobody is allowed to throw the die out of turn. The verb poder is used for permission or circumstances. If we used consegue, it would mean nobody is physically able to throw it. If we used sabe, it would mean nobody knows how to throw it.

Question 2

Does dado mean 'given' in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

No. While dado is indeed the past participle of the verb dar (to give), here it is being used as a noun. O dado means 'the die' (the singular form of 'dice').

Question 3

Why isn't there a não in this sentence? I thought Portuguese used double negatives.

Accepted Answer

Portuguese does use double negatives, but usually only when the negative word comes after the verb (e.g., não pode atirar ninguém). When a negative word like ninguém (nobody) or nada (nothing) is placed before the verb, as it is here, you drop the não.

Question 4

Why is 'their turn' translated as da sua vez using a singular possessive?

Accepted Answer

Grammatically, the pronoun ninguém (nobody) takes a third-person singular verb (pode), just like in English. Therefore, the matching possessive is the third-person singular sua. In English, we often translate this using the singular 'their' to be gender-neutral.

Question 5

Why is it antes da instead of just antes de?

Accepted Answer

The phrase for 'before' is antes de. However, in European Portuguese, possessives are almost always preceded by a definite article (a sua vez). When you combine de + a sua vez, the preposition de merges with the feminine article a to form da.

Ninguém pode atirar o dado antes da sua vez.

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