Breakdown of Ele caminhou pela margem, preparando a cana de pesca.
ele
he
preparar
to prepare
por
through / by / for / because of
caminhar
to walk
a margem
the bank (of a river)
a cana de pesca
the fishing rod
Questions & Answers about Ele caminhou pela margem, preparando a cana de pesca.
Why is preparando used here instead of a preparar?
In European Portuguese, you usually use a + infinitive for ongoing actions (like ele está a preparar for 'he is preparing'). However, when a verb describes how or while the main action is happening (an adverbial use), European Portuguese uses the gerund ending in -ndo. Here, preparando shows that he prepared the rod while walking.
Why use pela here to mean 'along'?
Pela is the combination of the preposition por and the feminine word for 'the', a. The preposition por is often used to show movement through, along, or by a place. So, walking 'along the bank' translates to walking por + a margem, which merges into pela margem.
Could I use banco instead of margem for 'bank'?
No, because banco only refers to a financial institution or a bench to sit on. For the bank or edge of a river, lake, or sea, you must use margem.
Why is the main verb caminhou in the simple past if the second action is ongoing?
Caminhou states the main, completed action in the simple past (Pretérito Perfeito). The gerund preparando does not have a tense of its own; it just tells us that the preparation happened continuously in the background during that specific walk.
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