Breakdown of O valente cavaleiro salvara o reino da bruxa.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
salvar
to save
a bruxa
the witch
o cavaleiro
the knight
valente
brave (valiant, tough)
o reino
the kingdom
Questions & Answers about O valente cavaleiro salvara o reino da bruxa.
What tense is salvara and how do we form it?
salvara is the simple pluperfect, or pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples, of the verb salvar, meaning "had saved". You form it by taking the third-person plural of the simple past (salvaram) and dropping the final -m. While everyday spoken Portuguese typically uses the compound form tinha salvado, this simple form is very common in literature and fairy tales like this one.
How do I pronounce salvara without confusing it with the future tense?
The stress in salvara naturally falls on the second-to-last syllable: sal-VA-ra. You must be careful not to stress the final syllable, because that would sound like the future tense salvará (he will save). The future tense uses a written accent mark to show that the stress has shifted to the end, whereas the simple pluperfect does not.
Why is the adjective valente placed before the noun cavaleiro?
In Portuguese, descriptive adjectives usually come after the noun. However, placing it before the noun is a common stylistic choice in literature. It emphasizes the bravery as an inherent, defining quality of this specific character, rather than just distinguishing him from other knights who aren't brave. It gives the sentence a poetic, storybook feel.
Why does the sentence use da before bruxa?
The verb salvar takes the preposition de to indicate what you are saving someone or something from. Because the sentence refers to a specific witch, the preposition de combines with the feminine definite article a to form the contraction da.
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