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O ladrão terá apagado a pegada do chão.

O ladrão terá apagado a pegada do chão.
The thief must have erased the footprint from the floor.
From Lesson 317:Probability in the past (terá sido)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O ladrão terá apagado a pegada do chão.

Why does terá apagado translate to "must have erased" instead of "will have erased"?
In Portuguese, the Future Perfect (Futuro Composto) is frequently used to express a strong assumption or probability about a past event. While its literal translation is "will have erased," it acts just like "must have erased" or "probably erased" in English.
Could I say deve ter apagado instead of terá apagado to mean the exact same thing?
Yes, deve ter apagado is completely interchangeable with terá apagado in this sentence. In everyday spoken Portuguese, you will actually hear deve ter more often, while terá apagado sounds a bit more literary, formal, or typical of news reports.
Why do we use the preposition do (de + o) before chão rather than no (em + o)?
The preposition de (contracted with o to make do) indicates separation or origin. Because the footprint is being removed from the surface of the floor, we use do. If you used no chão, it would just indicate where the action happened, but do specifically highlights removing the mark off of that surface.
Does the verb apagar always mean "to erase"?
It means "to erase" or "to wipe away" here, but apagar is also the standard verb for "to turn off" (like lights or a screen) and "to extinguish" (like a fire). It is a very versatile word to remember.

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