Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Quem merece o aumento é o funcionário cujo projeto venceu. - The one who deserves the raise is the employee whose project won.

Quem merece o aumento é o funcionário cujo projeto venceu.

The one who deserves the raise is the employee whose project won.

Breakdown of Quem merece o aumento é o funcionário cujo projeto venceu.

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?

It agrees with the thing being "owned", which is the project (o projeto). Since projeto is masculine and singular, you use cujo. If it were a feminine word like ideia (idea), it would be cuja ideia, even if the employee is male.

Why is the first verb (merece) in the third-person singular?

In this structure, the pronoun Quem (The one who) acts as the subject of the first verb. In Portuguese, Quem always takes a third-person singular verb.

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".