Word
Por causa da rivalidade, as duas equipas desconfiam uma da outra.
Meaning
Because of the rivalry, the two teams distrust each other.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Por causa da rivalidade, as duas equipas desconfiam uma da outra.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
dois
two
um
one
a
to / at (direction)
Questions & Answers about Por causa da rivalidade, as duas equipas desconfiam uma da outra.
Why do we use uma da outra instead of the usual uma à outra to say "each other"?
The reciprocal phrase has to match the preposition that the verb requires. The verb desconfiar (to distrust / to be suspicious) is always followed by the preposition de. Instead of a (which would give us à), we use de. Since it refers to as equipas (feminine), we use uma, and de + a outra contracts perfectly into da outra.
Why is uma da outra in the singular when the subject, as duas equipas, is plural?
Could we just use the reciprocal pronoun se and say as duas equipas desconfiam-se?
No, that doesn't work here. The reciprocal pronoun se acts as a direct or indirect object (like in elas veem-se, "they see each other"). Because desconfiar strictly requires the preposition de, you can't just attach se. You have to spell out the relationship using uma da outra to make room for that preposition.