Log inSign up

A parede ficou rachada por causa do sismo.

A parede ficou rachada por causa do sismo.
The wall was cracked because of the earthquake.
From Lesson 331:Resultative passive (ficar + participle)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about A parede ficou rachada por causa do sismo.

Why use ficou instead of foi or estava here?
The verb ficar forms the resultative passive. While foi rachada focuses on the action happening and estava rachada simply describes its static state, ficou rachada emphasizes the change of state. It tells us the wall ended up cracked as a direct result of the earthquake.
Why is the participle rachada feminine here?
In passive constructions with ficar, just like with ser and estar, the past participle acts like an adjective. It must agree in gender and number with the subject it describes. Since a parede is feminine singular, the participle becomes rachada.
Could I just use pelo sismo instead of por causa do sismo?
Yes, you could say pelo sismo (by the earthquake), which treats the earthquake as the direct agent of the action. However, por causa do (because of the) is very natural here because it highlights the earthquake as the underlying reason or trigger for the wall's new state.
I have seen the word terramoto for earthquake. Why use sismo here?
In European Portuguese, sismo is the standard, most frequently used word for an earthquake in everyday contexts and news reports. Terramoto is also correct but is usually reserved for extremely destructive, historically significant earthquakes.

Learn A parede ficou rachada por causa do sismo and more in Portuguese

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Portuguese →