Breakdown of Dei pela minha mente a vagar durante a reunião.
meu
my (m/f/pl: meu, minha, meus, minhas)
a
to / at (direction)
a reunião
the meeting
por
through / by / for / because of
durante
during
dar por si
to suddenly realize
a mente
the mind
vagar
to wander
Questions & Answers about Dei pela minha mente a vagar durante a reunião.
How does the verb dar translate to 'suddenly realized' in this sentence?
It is part of the fixed aspectual structure dar por + noun or pronoun + a + infinitive. This phrase does not mean 'to give'. Instead, it means to catch someone or something in the act of doing something, or to suddenly realize an ongoing action. It beautifully captures the feeling of 'waking up' to what is happening right then.
The lesson mentions using a reflexive pronoun for this structure. Why is there no reflexive pronoun like mim here?
While you will very often see this with a reflexive pronoun (like dei por mim a vagar, meaning 'I caught myself wandering'), you can also use a specific noun as the object. Here, you didn't catch yourself as a whole, but specifically your mind (minha mente), so it replaces the reflexive pronoun.
Why is it pela minha mente instead of just por minha mente?
In European Portuguese, possessive words like minha almost always require a definite article before them. The underlying structure is por + a minha mente. The preposition por must contract with the definite article a to form pela.
Could I just say apercebi-me de que a minha mente estava a vagar?
Learn Dei pela minha mente a vagar durante a reunião 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