Breakdown of Ainda tenho de limpar os rodapés que estão por envernizar.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
ter
to have
estar
to be (temporary / location)
limpar
to clean
por
through / by / for / because of
o
him/it (m)
ainda
still / yet / even (with comparatives)
que
who / which / that (relative)
o rodapé
the skirting board
envernizar
to varnish
Questions & Answers about Ainda tenho de limpar os rodapés que estão por envernizar.
What exactly does estão por envernizar mean in this sentence?
The structure estar por + infinitive is used to describe an action that is pending or hasn't been completed yet. In this case, estão por envernizar indicates that the skirting boards are "yet to be varnished" or "still need to be varnished."
The English translation says "to be varnished" (passive), but envernizar is an active verb. Why don't we use a passive structure here?
In Portuguese, when estar por + infinitive is used to describe an inanimate object (like os rodapés), the active infinitive naturally takes on a passive meaning. You don't need to say estão por ser envernizados; using the active infinitive envernizar is the standard, idiomatic way to express this.
Could I say tenho que limpar instead of tenho de limpar?
How does the compound noun rodapés work?
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