Breakdown of Queria negociar o carro de que gostámos, mas a quilometragem é alta.
ser
to be
o carro
the car
alto
tall / high
mas
but
querer
to want
gostar de
to like
que
who / which / that (relative)
negociar
to negotiate
a quilometragem
the mileage
Questions & Answers about Queria negociar o carro de que gostámos, mas a quilometragem é alta.
Why is it de que instead of just que after o carro?
Because the verb gostar always requires the preposition de (to like something is gostar de). In a Portuguese relative clause, this preposition cannot be left at the end of the sentence like in English; it must move right in front of que. So, instead of "the car that we liked", the structure is literally "the car of which we liked".
Why does gostámos have an accent on the 'a'?
In European Portuguese, the acute accent on the 'a' shows that this is the past tense (we liked). Without the accent, gostamos is the present tense (we like). This accent also tells you to pronounce the vowel with an open "ah" sound.
Why use the imperfect tense queria here instead of the preterite quis?
Using the imperfect tense is the standard way to sound polite and soften a statement or request in Portuguese. Even though it literally translates to "I wanted", it functions like "I would like" in English. Using quis would sound a bit too direct or could imply a completely finished action in the past.
Why is the adjective alta feminine here?
Because it describes a quilometragem (the mileage). In Portuguese, almost all nouns ending in -agem are feminine. Because of this, both the definite article a and the adjective alta must agree with its feminine gender.
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