Breakdown of Nós costumamos preparar o bufete, só que hoje encomendámos os aperitivos.
nós
we
hoje
today
preparar
to prepare
costumar
to usually do
o bufete
the buffet
só que
but (except that) / only that
encomendar
to order (goods or services)
o aperitivo
the appetizer
Questions & Answers about Nós costumamos preparar o bufete, só que hoje encomendámos os aperitivos.
Why use só que here instead of just mas?
While mas translates directly to 'but', só que is a highly common conversational connector that introduces a slight twist, exception, or contrasting fact, much like 'except that' or 'only' in English. Importantly, it is followed by the indicative mood, which is why we use the standard past tense encomendámos here instead of a subjunctive form.
Could I use acontece que instead of só que in this sentence?
Yes! Replacing só que with acontece que (it happens that) or sucede que (it occurs that) works perfectly. Just like só que, these expressions introduce a contrasting reality or complication, and they also take the indicative mood. The meaning would shift slightly to: 'We usually prepare the buffet, it just happens that today we ordered the appetizers.'
Why does the verb encomendámos have an accent mark on the letter 'a'?
In European Portuguese, regular -ar verbs get an acute accent in the nós form of the simple past tense (Pretérito Perfeito) to show an open 'a' vowel sound. This crucial accent mark distinguishes the past tense encomendámos from the present tense encomendamos, which has a closed 'a' sound and is written without an accent.
Is it better to say costumamos preparar rather than normalmente preparamos?
Both are grammatically correct and mean the same thing, but using the auxiliary verb costumar followed by an infinitive is the most natural and idiomatic way Portuguese speakers express 'to usually do something' or to describe a habitual action.
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