Breakdown of O influenciador fez com que o slogan se tornasse viral.
tornar-se
to become
fazer com que
to make (someone do), to bring about
o influenciador
the influencer
o slogan
the slogan
viral
viral
Questions & Answers about O influenciador fez com que o slogan se tornasse viral.
English says 'made the slogan go viral'. Why does Portuguese use fez com que instead of a direct translation like 'fez o slogan tornar-se'?
While English uses 'make + [object] + [infinitive verb]', Portuguese typically expresses this kind of causation using the phrase fazer com que (literally 'to make with that') followed by a subjunctive clause. This is the most natural and idiomatic way to express that one action or person caused another event to happen.
Why is the verb se tornasse in the imperfect (past) subjunctive here instead of the present subjunctive?
The tense in the subjunctive clause needs to match the timeframe of the main clause. Because the influencer already caused this to happen (the main verb fez is in the past tense), the resulting action must be in the imperfect subjunctive (se tornasse). If the main clause were in the present tense (faz com que), you would use the present subjunctive (se torne).
Could we use ficasse instead of se tornasse to mean 'go' or 'become' viral?
While ficar often means 'to become' for temporary states of being (like getting angry, tired, or sick), tornar-se is used for a more significant transformation or a change in status. A slogan going viral or becoming famous is viewed as a definitive change in its status, making tornar-se the correct choice here.
Why does the reflexive pronoun se come before the verb in se tornasse?
This part of the sentence is a subordinate clause introduced by the conjunction que. Subordinate clauses act as 'magnets' in Portuguese, pulling the pronoun to the position immediately before the verb. Even though the subject (o slogan) sits between que and the verb, the pronoun is still pulled to the front of the verb.
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