Breakdown of Não posso fazer tudo ao mesmo tempo.
fazer
to do
poder
can / may (verb)
tudo
everything
ao mesmo tempo
at the same time
Questions & Answers about Não posso fazer tudo ao mesmo tempo.
Why does this sentence use tudo instead of todo for "everything"?
Tudo is a word that never changes its ending and means "everything" in a general, abstract sense. You use it when you aren't referring to a specific noun. If you wanted to say "all the work", you would use a form of todo, like todo o trabalho. Because this sentence means "everything" generally, tudo is the right choice.
Could I use consigo instead of posso in this sentence?
Yes, you can! Não consigo fazer tudo ao mesmo tempo is very common. Consigo (from conseguir) emphasizes that you lack the physical ability, time, or energy to manage doing it all. Posso (from poder) is a bit broader and can mean you don't have the possibility, but in this everyday context, they are often used interchangeably.
Why is it ao mesmo tempo and not just no mesmo tempo?
The phrase ao mesmo tempo is a fixed expression in Portuguese that translates directly to "at the same time". It uses the preposition a combined with the masculine article o to make ao, which acts like "at the" in English. Using no (which is em + o) would translate closer to "in the same time", which isn't the natural way to say this in Portuguese.
I thought mesmo meant "really" or "exactly". How does it mean "same" here?
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