Breakdown of O rodapé ainda está por envernizar.
estar
to be (temporary / location)
por
through / by / for / because of
o
him/it (m)
ainda
still / yet / even (with comparatives)
o rodapé
the skirting board
envernizar
to varnish
Questions & Answers about O rodapé ainda está por envernizar.
How does está por envernizar convey a passive meaning ("to be varnished") when envernizar is an active verb?
The structure estar por + infinitive expresses an action that is pending, incomplete, or hasn't been done yet. When the subject is an inanimate object like o rodapé (the skirting board), this structure inherently takes on a passive sense in English translation. The board isn't going to varnish anything; rather, it sits there waiting to be varnished.
Could I say está para envernizar instead of está por envernizar?
You could, but it changes the meaning completely! While estar por + infinitive means a task remains to be done, estar para + infinitive means an action is about to happen. If you said está para envernizar, it would mean the skirting board is on the verge of being varnished—perhaps the painter is standing there with the brush right now.
Doesn't estar por already mean "yet to be done"? Why include ainda?
You are right that está por envernizar alone means "is yet to be varnished". Including ainda (still) just adds emphasis, exactly like saying "is still yet to be varnished" in English. It often carries a slight tone of impatience or highlights a delay, signaling that the speaker expected the job to be finished by now.
Could I express this same pending action using the past participle, like envernizado?
Not with the preposition por, which strictly requires an infinitive verb (envernizar). However, you could express the same general idea by dropping por and using a negative state: ainda não está envernizado (it is not varnished yet). The difference is subtle: estar por envernizar focuses on the pending task, while não estar envernizado focuses purely on the current physical state of the board.
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