Breakdown of O devaneio passa despercebido até darmos por nós a sorrir.
nós
we
a
to / at (direction)
passar
to pass
por
through / by / for / because of
Questions & Answers about O devaneio passa despercebido até darmos por nós a sorrir.
How does the phrase darmos por nós a sorrir translate to suddenly realizing we are smiling?
This sentence highlights the structure dar por + reflexive pronoun + a + infinitive. In Portuguese, this specific combination is used to express catching yourself in the middle of an action or suddenly becoming aware that you are doing something. Here, dar is conjugated in the personal infinitive (darmos) to show the subject is we, followed by the prepositional reflexive pronoun nós, and finally a sorrir (smiling).
Why is darmos in the personal infinitive? Doesn't the word até usually trigger the subjunctive?
The preposition até on its own is followed by an infinitive. We use the personal infinitive (darmos) here because we need to explicitly state who is doing the action (we). You only use the subjunctive if you add que to make it a conjunction, which would be até que demos. Using até plus the personal infinitive is highly common and often preferred because it is more direct.
Why do we use the pronoun nós in this periphrasis instead of the standard reflexive pronoun nos?
I have seen the word before. Is it just a different spelling of ?