Breakdown of Eles iam dormir, mas distraíram-se na rede social.
eles
they (m)
mas
but
na
in the / on the / at the (f.sg)
ir
to go
dormir
to sleep
a rede
the network
distrair-se
to get distracted
social
social
Questions & Answers about Eles iam dormir, mas distraíram-se na rede social.
Why do we use the Imperfeito for iam but the Perfeito for distraíram-se?
The Imperfeito (iam) sets up an ongoing past intention—something they were going to do. The Perfeito (distraíram-se) is used for the sudden, completed action that interrupted this plan. Using ir (in the Imperfeito) + infinitive, followed by a contrasting action in the Perfeito, is the standard way to express an unfulfilled past intention.
Why is there a -se attached to distraíram?
In Portuguese, the verb distrair means to distract someone else. If you want to say someone got distracted (meaning they distracted themselves), you must use it as a reflexive verb: distrair-se. Without the -se, the sentence would sound incomplete.
Could we place the pronoun before the verb, like se distraíram?
In European Portuguese, pronouns usually attach to the end of the verb with a hyphen (distraíram-se) unless a specific trigger word pulls them to the front. The conjunction mas (but) does not trigger this pull, so the pronoun stays attached to the end.
Why do we use na (in the) instead of a word for on?
While English speakers talk about being on the internet or on a social network, Portuguese treats digital spaces more like physical containers. You use the preposition em (in). Here, em combines with the feminine word a (the) to make na rede social.
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