Breakdown of Em primeiro lugar, a vigilância começa a funcionar durante a noite.
a noite
the night
começar
to begin
durante
during
funcionar
to work, to function
em primeiro lugar
in the first place, firstly
a vigilância
the surveillance
Questions & Answers about Em primeiro lugar, a vigilância começa a funcionar durante a noite.
Is em primeiro lugar always followed by em segundo lugar later in the conversation?
Often yes, because it is a discourse marker used to structure sequential arguments, meaning "first of all" or "in the first place". You will typically see it followed up by em segundo lugar (secondly) or por fim (finally) later in the text. However, you can also use it on its own just to highlight the most important point before moving on.
Why is there an a in começa a funcionar?
In Portuguese, the verb começar (to begin/start) must be followed by the preposition a whenever it links to another verb in the infinitive. Therefore, "starts to operate" is translated as começa a funcionar.
Could I use trabalhar instead of funcionar to say the surveillance "works" at night?
No, funcionar is the correct choice here. While both translate to "to work" in English, trabalhar is used for people or animals doing labor. funcionar is used for machines, systems, and abstract concepts like a vigilância (surveillance) to mean "to operate" or "to function".
Would it be correct to say de noite instead of durante a noite in this sentence?
Yes, they are very similar and usually interchangeable in this context. de noite simply means "at night". Using durante a noite (during the night) just adds a slight emphasis on the span of time while the surveillance is operating.
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