Breakdown of Se calhar o objeto pessoal está nesta secção.
estar
to be (temporary / location)
em
in / on / at
este
this (este, esta, estes, estas)
se calhar
maybe, perhaps
o objeto
the object
pessoal
personal
a secção
the section
Questions & Answers about Se calhar o objeto pessoal está nesta secção.
Why does se calhar take the indicative verb está? Doesn't expressing doubt usually require the subjunctive?
This is a special rule. Even though se calhar means 'maybe' and expresses doubt or probability, it is always followed by the normal indicative mood. If you wanted to use talvez (which also means maybe/perhaps), then you would need the subjunctive (talvez o objeto pessoal esteja...).
Why use está instead of é if the object permanently belongs in that section?
Why is the word nesta used here instead of em esta?
The word nesta is a mandatory contraction. Whenever the preposition em (in/on/at) comes directly before the demonstrative esta (this), they must combine into nesta. Saying em esta sounds unnatural and is grammatically incorrect in Portuguese.
Why does secção have a 'cç' but objeto doesn't have a 'c' before the 't'?
This comes down to modern Portuguese spelling rules regarding silent letters. The 'c' in the older spelling objecto was silent in Portugal, so it was officially removed. However, in secção, the first 'c' is actually pronounced (making a 'k' sound before the 's' sound of the 'ç'), so it is kept.
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