Breakdown of O sucesso coletivo é impossível se eles desconfiam uns dos outros.
ser
to be
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
eles
they (m)
um
one
o
him/it (m)
os
them (m)
outro
other
o sucesso
the success
se
if
impossível
impossible
coletivo
collective
desconfiar
to distrust
Questions & Answers about O sucesso coletivo é impossível se eles desconfiam uns dos outros.
Why does this sentence use uns dos outros instead of the standard uns aos outros?
The reciprocal expression changes to match the preposition required by the verb. The verb desconfiar (to distrust) requires the preposition de (desconfiar de). Therefore, the preposition de replaces a, contracting with the article os before outros to form dos.
Could we just say eles desconfiam-se to mean they distrust each other?
No, you cannot use the reflexive pronoun se here. Verbs that require a preposition (like de, em, or com) cannot take a simple reflexive pronoun to show reciprocity. You must use the full phrase like uns dos outros so that the necessary preposition has a proper place.
Why is it plural (uns dos outros) rather than singular (um do outro)?
You could use um do outro if you knew for sure that eles referred to exactly two people. However, uns dos outros is used when the group has three or more people, or when the exact number is unknown. Since this sentence makes a broad statement about collective success, the plural is the most natural fit.
I have sometimes seen collective spelled as colectivo in Portuguese. Why is it coletivo here?
In European Portuguese, the spelling used to be colectivo. However, under the modern Orthographic Agreement, silent consonants were removed from the written language. Since the c was not pronounced in this word, it was dropped, leaving us with coletivo.
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