Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Os membros ficaram de ler este excerto hoje. - The members agreed to read this excerpt today.

Os membros ficaram de ler este excerto hoje.

The members agreed to read this excerpt today.

Breakdown of Os membros ficaram de ler este excerto hoje.

Questions & Answers about Os membros ficaram de ler este excerto hoje.

Wait, doesn't ficar usually mean 'to stay' or 'to become'?

It does! However, when you use the structure ficar de followed by an infinitive verb (like ler), it creates a specific phrase meaning 'to agree to' or 'to commit to' doing something.

Since they are reading it today (hoje), why is the verb in the past tense (ficaram)?

The verb ficaram refers to the moment the members made the agreement, which already happened. The agreement was made in the past, even though the action they agreed to do (ler este excerto) is scheduled for today.

Could I say ficaram a ler instead of ficaram de ler?

That would completely change the meaning! Ficar a followed by an infinitive means 'to stay doing something' (for example, they stayed behind reading). Ficar de followed by an infinitive means they made an agreement or promise to read it later.

Why use este excerto instead of esse excerto?

Este is used for something physically close to the speaker or current in time. In this sentence, the speaker likely has the text right in front of them or is sharing it directly with the group, making este the most natural choice.