Tu ficaste de apresentar o tema e ler o resumo.

Questions & Answers about Tu ficaste de apresentar o tema e ler o resumo.

How does ficaste de mean "agreed to" here? Doesn't ficar usually mean "to stay"?
While ficar on its own often means "to stay" or "to become", the specific structure ficar de followed by an infinitive verb (like apresentar) is a set expression. It means "to agree to" or "to arrange to" do something. Here, in the past tense (ficaste), it indicates that the agreement was already made.
Does the de in ficaste de apply to both verbs in this sentence?
Yes! Because the verbs apresentar (present) and ler (read) are joined by e (and), they share the same ficar de structure. You don't need to repeat the de before ler. It works just like English: "You agreed to present... and [to] read...".
Why is it o tema? Doesn't the '-a' ending normally make a word feminine?
Usually, yes, but tema is an exception. Many Portuguese words ending in -ma that come from Greek are actually masculine. Other common examples you will see at this level include o problema (the problem), o programa (the program), and o sistema (the system).
Can I leave out the word Tu at the start of the sentence?
Absolutely. The verb ending -ste in ficaste already makes it perfectly clear that the subject is tu (you, informal). Including the pronoun Tu here just adds a bit of emphasis, as if reminding the person: "It was you who agreed to do it."

Learn Tu ficaste de apresentar o tema e ler o resumo and more in Portuguese

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free