Breakdown of O enfermeiro recomendou-lhe que observasse a radiografia.
lhe
to him / to her / to you (formal)
o enfermeiro
the nurse
que
that (conjunction)
recomendar
to recommend
Questions & Answers about O enfermeiro recomendou-lhe que observasse a radiografia.
Why is observasse in the imperfect subjunctive rather than the present subjunctive?
The main verb, recomendou (recommended), is a verb of suggestion in the past tense. Verbs of suggestion always trigger the subjunctive for the action being suggested. Because the recommendation happened in the past, the following verb must shift to the past (imperfect) subjunctive to keep the timeline consistent.
Why is the pronoun attached as recomendou-lhe instead of lhe recomendou?
In European Portuguese, the default position for object pronouns is attached to the end of the verb. We only place the pronoun before the verb if there is a 'magnet' word pulling it forward, such as a negative word, a relative pronoun, or certain adverbs. Since this is a simple affirmative main clause, lhe attaches to the end.
Who is the subject of observasse? Could it be someone other than the person receiving the recommendation?
Usually, we assume the person receiving the recommendation (lhe, meaning 'to him', 'to her', or formal 'to you') is the one who should do the action. The verb observasse is in the third-person singular, which matches lhe. However, without broader context, it could technically mean 'recommended to him that she observe it' if a different third person had already been mentioned.
Is radiografia the most common word for X-ray in everyday speech?