Breakdown of Mal o mecânico viu a velocidade, pediu para travar.
para
to / for
ver
to see
pedir
to ask for
o mecânico
the mechanic
mal
as soon as
travar
to brake
a velocidade
the speed
Questions & Answers about Mal o mecânico viu a velocidade, pediu para travar.
Why is viu in the indicative here instead of the subjunctive?
The conjunction mal (as soon as) takes the indicative mood when describing an action that has already happened or is a general habit. Because the mechanic already saw the speed (viu is the simple past), it is a completed, factual event rather than a future possibility. If we were talking about the future ("As soon as he sees..."), mal would trigger the future subjunctive instead.
Wait, doesn't mal mean "bad" or "badly"?
It often does! But mal also functions as a temporal conjunction. When it links two clauses together like it does here, it means "as soon as" or "hardly/barely". You can tell which meaning is intended from the context, as the conjunction version usually sits at the beginning of the clause right before the subject or verb.
Why do we need the preposition para in pediu para travar?
The verb pedir (to ask or request) is followed by the preposition para when you are asking for an action to be performed by someone. Therefore, pediu para travar translates to "he asked to brake" (literally "asked for to brake"). Without para, the phrase would be grammatically incomplete.
I've seen the verb frear used for "to brake". Is travar different?
In European Portuguese, travar is the standard and most common verb for applying the brakes on a vehicle. The verb frear is standard in Brazilian Portuguese, so you will want to stick to travar when speaking or writing in Portugal.
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