Word
A inflação tem vindo a aumentar cada vez mais.
Meaning
Inflation has been increasing more and more.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of A inflação tem vindo a aumentar cada vez mais.
ter
to have
a
to / at (direction)
mais
more
vir
to come
Questions & Answers about A inflação tem vindo a aumentar cada vez mais.
Why use tem vindo a aumentar instead of the regular present perfect tem aumentado?
While tem aumentado also describes an action that started in the past and continues into the present, adding vindo a emphasizes the gradual, step-by-step progression of the action. It highlights that the inflation is a building, ongoing trend (has been increasing) rather than just a general fact about the recent past.
Could I use the present continuous here and just say está a aumentar?
You could, but the meaning shifts slightly. The phrase está a aumentar simply states what is happening right now (is increasing). The structure tem vindo a + infinitive is required to express the cumulative aspect of the lesson: a process that began in the past, has been building up over time, and leads right up to the present moment.
Why does the Portuguese sentence start with A when the English translation just says Inflation without an article?
In European Portuguese, general concepts and abstract nouns require a definite article. Even though English drops the article for general concepts, whenever you talk about inflation in a broad sense in Portuguese, you must use a inflação.
How does the phrase cada vez mais work at the end of the sentence?