Breakdown of O diretor deixou o trompete ecoar no salão vazio.
no
in the / on the / at the (m, f, pl forms: na, nos, nas)
o diretor
the director
vazio
empty
deixar
to leave (behind) / to quit / to let (allow)
o salão
the large hall / the salon (hairdressing)
o trompete
the trumpet
ecoar
to echo
Questions & Answers about O diretor deixou o trompete ecoar no salão vazio.
Why is the infinitive ecoar used here after o trompete?
Could the sentence be written as O diretor deixou ecoar o trompete?
Yes! With causative and perception verbs like deixar, mandar, ver, and ouvir, it is very common in European Portuguese to keep the two verbs together. Putting the infinitive right after the main verb is completely correct and sounds very natural.
Why do we use the Pretérito Perfeito (deixou) here instead of the Imperfeito (deixava)?
We use deixou because this describes a single, completed event in the past. If the sentence used deixava, it would change the meaning to imply the director used to let the trumpet echo as a recurring habit, or was in the process of letting it happen.
If there were multiple trumpets (os trompetes), would ecoar need to become plural?
If the object is plural, you actually have a choice! You can leave the second verb in the standard, uninflected infinitive (deixou os trompetes ecoar) or you can conjugate it into the personal infinitive to match the plural trumpets (deixou os trompetes ecoarem). Both are perfectly correct when the object is a noun.
Learn O diretor deixou o trompete ecoar no salão vazio and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free