Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O alpinista não vê nada na montanha, isto é, o nevoeiro é extremo. - The climber does not see anything on the mountain, that is, the fog is extreme.

O alpinista não vê nada na montanha, isto é, o nevoeiro é extremo.

The climber does not see anything on the mountain, that is, the fog is extreme.

Breakdown of O alpinista não vê nada na montanha, isto é, o nevoeiro é extremo.

Questions & Answers about O alpinista não vê nada na montanha, isto é, o nevoeiro é extremo.

Why do we use isto é here, and could we use ou seja instead?

Isto é literally means 'this is', but it translates to 'that is' or 'in other words'. It is used to clarify or explain the previous statement. Yes, you could absolutely use ou seja here; they are interchangeable textual connectors. Both tell the listener that you are about to explain exactly why the climber cannot see.

Why does the sentence use não vê nada instead of just não vê?

In Portuguese, double negatives are required when a negative word like nada (nothing/anything) comes after the verb. While não vê simply means 'does not see', não vê nada translates specifically to 'does not see anything' (literally 'does not see nothing').

Fog is a temporary weather condition, so why does the sentence use é (from ser) in o nevoeiro é extremo instead of está?

If you were describing the general weather, you would use estar, like in está nevoeiro (it is foggy). However, in this sentence, o nevoeiro (the fog) is the specific subject noun, and you are defining its level of severity. When describing the fundamental nature or degree of a noun, Portuguese often uses ser.

Why does o alpinista end in '-a' if the article o is masculine?