Breakdown of O slogan atraente faz com que a publicidade funcione muito bem.
muito
much / very
bem
well / fine
fazer com que
to make (someone do), to bring about
funcionar
to work, to function
a publicidade
the advertising
o slogan
the slogan
atraente
attractive
Questions & Answers about O slogan atraente faz com que a publicidade funcione muito bem.
Why do we use funcione here instead of the normal present tense funciona?
The phrase faz com que (makes it so that) expresses causation or influence. In Portuguese, whenever you use fazer com que to show that one thing causes another, it always triggers the subjunctive mood in the following clause. That is why we use the present subjunctive funcione.
Since English uses an infinitive ('makes the advertising work'), could I use the infinitive in Portuguese and drop the com que?
Yes, you could say faz a publicidade funcionar (fazer + object + infinitive). However, fazer com que followed by the subjunctive is extremely natural and preferred in Portuguese when the resulting action has its own explicit subject (like a publicidade). It clearly separates the cause from the effect.
Slogan is a masculine noun. Why doesn't the adjective atraente have a masculine ending?
Adjectives that end in -e, such as atraente (attractive), inteligente (smart), or grande (big), are gender-neutral in Portuguese. They use the exact same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. They only change when pluralized (becoming atraentes).
I often mix up the verbs for 'to work'. Why is it funcione and not a form of trabalhar?
Trabalhar is used exclusively for people doing labor or a job. When you mean 'to work' in the sense of a machine operating, a plan succeeding, or advertising being effective, you must use funcionar (to function).
Learn O slogan atraente faz com que a publicidade funcione muito bem and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free