Breakdown of O canalizador estava a consertar o tubo, mas os azulejos estão por limpar.
mas
but
estar
to be (temporary / location)
a
to / at (direction)
limpar
to clean
por
through / by / for / because of
o
him/it (m)
consertar
to repair
o azulejo
the tile
o canalizador
the plumber
o tubo
the pipe (tube)
Questions & Answers about O canalizador estava a consertar o tubo, mas os azulejos estão por limpar.
Why does the Portuguese sentence use the active verb limpar instead of a passive form like "ser limpos"?
The structure estar por + infinitive is used to express that an action hasn't been done yet but is expected to happen. In Portuguese, this structure always uses the active infinitive, even when the subject (os azulejos) is the thing receiving the action. You would not say estão por ser limpos.
Why is the first verb in the past tense (estava) but the second one is in the present (estão)?
Could I use an adjective and just say the tiles are dirty (sujos)?
As a refresher, why do we use "estava a consertar" instead of the gerund "estava consertando"?
In European Portuguese, the standard structure for ongoing actions is estar a + infinitive. While you will hear the gerund in Brazilian Portuguese (and occasionally in some southern regions of Portugal), estava a consertar is the standard European Portuguese form you should use.
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