Breakdown of Quem merece o aumento é o funcionário cujo projeto venceu.
ser
to be
quem
who
o projeto
the project
o funcionário
the employee
vencer
to win (to defeat)
cujo
whose (cujo, cuja, cujos, cujas)
merecer
to deserve
o aumento
the raise
Questions & Answers about Quem merece o aumento é o funcionário cujo projeto venceu.
Why use the Quem... é... structure here instead of just saying "O funcionário merece o aumento"?
This is a "pseudocleft" sentence, which is a way to put strong focus on a specific piece of information. By saying Quem merece o aumento é o funcionário (The one who deserves the raise is the employee), it highlights exactly who deserves it, contrasting them with anyone else. It is much more emphatic than a standard sentence.
In cujo projeto, does the word cujo agree with the employee or the project?
Why is the first verb (merece) in the third-person singular?
Does aumento just mean "increase", or is it specifically a salary raise?
The word aumento literally means "increase" (from the verb aumentar, to increase). However, when talking about jobs and salaries, um aumento is the standard way to say "a raise".
Why do we mix the present tense (merece) and the past tense (venceu) here?
The tenses simply reflect when each action happens. The employee deserves the raise right now in the present (merece), because their project already won in the past (venceu).
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