Questions & Answers about Queres ter sucesso? Trabalha.
Why is 'succeed' translated as ter sucesso? Isn't there a single verb for it?
In Portuguese, you don't typically use a single verb for 'to succeed' in the sense of being successful. Instead, you use the phrase ter sucesso (literally, to have success). There is a verb suceder, but it usually means 'to happen' or 'to take someone's place', not to achieve success in life or business.
Why is the command Trabalha? Doesn't that ending usually go with ele/ela?
Yes, trabalha is the present tense form for ele/ela/você. However, this sentence is giving an informal command to tu, which we know because it starts with Queres. To form an affirmative command (the imperative) for tu, you take the normal present tense tu form (trabalhas) and simply drop the final 's', which gives you trabalha.
How would this sentence look if I were addressing someone formally (você)?
To make this formal, you need to change both verbs to match você. The present tense Queres changes to Quer. For the command, the formal imperative swaps the vowel ending, so trabalha becomes Trabalhe. The formal sentence is: Quer ter sucesso? Trabalhe.
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