Question 1

Since this lesson is about 'chegar a' + infinitive, how would I use it in this sentence to say the winner 'went as far as manipulating' the ally?

Accepted Answer

You would replace the past tense verb manipulou with chegou a manipular. The sentence becomes O vencedor chegou a manipular o aliado para criar uma aliança. This structure shows that an action reached an extreme or unexpected culmination point, often translating to 'went as far as manipulating' or 'actually manipulated'.

Question 2

The words aliado and aliança look very similar. Are they from the same root?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Both are related to the verb aliar (to ally or unite). O aliado is the person (the ally), and a aliança is the resulting agreement (the alliance). As a B1 bonus fact: in everyday Portuguese, uma aliança is also the standard word for a wedding ring!

Question 3

Why do we use para criar here instead of por criar?

Accepted Answer

When translating 'to [do something]' in the sense of 'in order to', you should always use para followed by the infinitive verb. Here, para criar means 'in order to create'. The preposition por is used for the cause or reason behind an action, rather than the intended future goal.

Question 4

Why is there a cedilla (ç) in aliança but not in vencedor?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, the letter c naturally makes a soft 's' sound when it comes before an e or an i (as in vencedor). You only use a cedilla (ç) before the vowels a, o, or u to force that soft 's' sound instead of a hard 'k' sound (as in aliança).

O vencedor manipulou o aliado para criar uma aliança.

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