Breakdown of Nós estamos a comprar-lhes um guarda-roupa novo para a moda de verão.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
nós
we
novo
new / young
um
a / an / some (all forms)
estar
to be (temporary / location)
comprar
to buy
para
to / for
lhes
to them / to you (plural formal)
o verão
the summer
a moda
the fashion
o guarda-roupa
the wardrobe
Questions & Answers about Nós estamos a comprar-lhes um guarda-roupa novo para a moda de verão.
Why is the pronoun lhes attached to comprar instead of estamos?
In verbal complexes expressing continuous action (estar a + infinitive), you actually have a choice! You can attach the object pronoun to the main verb, as in estamos a comprar-lhes, or to the auxiliary verb, becoming estamo-lhes a comprar (notice the -s on estamos drops before -lhes). Attaching it to the infinitive is highly common and avoids tricky spelling changes.
Doesn't lhes usually mean 'to them'? Why is it translated as 'for them' here?
The word roupa is feminine, so why is the adjective describing the wardrobe masculine (novo)?
Guarda-roupa is a compound noun formed by a verb (guarda, from guardar) and a noun (roupa). In Portuguese, verb-noun compound words are almost always masculine, even if the noun part is feminine. Therefore, the whole item is masculine singular (um guarda-roupa), so the adjective must be novo.
The lesson topic mentions 'gerunds'. Is a comprar considered a gerund here?
Conceptually, yes! In standard European Portuguese, continuous actions (like 'we are buying') are constructed using estar a + the infinitive verb (comprar). This serves the exact same grammatical function as the true gerund form (estamos comprando), which is standard in Brazil but rarely used in most parts of Portugal.
Why does the sentence use de verão instead of do verão?
We use the simple preposition de without the definite article (o) because we are describing the type or category of fashion (summer fashion in general). If we used do verão (a contraction of de + o), it would mean fashion belonging to one specific summer.
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