Breakdown of Quem me dera desfrutar do sossego no paraíso.
em
in / on / at
quem me dera
I wish
desfrutar de
to enjoy (to savor)
o sossego
the peace (quiet, tranquility)
o paraíso
the paradise
Questions & Answers about Quem me dera desfrutar do sossego no paraíso.
Why is desfrutar in the infinitive here? I thought Quem me dera needed the subjunctive.
Quem me dera does trigger the subjunctive when you are wishing for someone else to do something (like Quem me dera que ele viesse - I wish he would come). But because you are wishing for yourself to do something here, you drop the que and just use the infinitive verb (desfrutar).
What exactly is the word dera in Quem me dera?
Dera is the past perfect (or pluperfect) form of the verb dar (to give). Literally, Quem me dera translates to something like "Who had given me...". You don't need to worry about conjugating this tense right now; just memorize Quem me dera as a fixed expression meaning "I wish" or "If only".
Why do we say desfrutar do instead of just desfrutar o?
Is sossego different from paz?
They are very similar, but sossego specifically emphasizes quietness, stillness, and a lack of disturbance. Paz is the standard word for "peace", whereas sossego is more about having a calm, quiet moment without noise or stress.
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