Question 1

Why is it spelled Maravilhamo-nos instead of Maravilhamos-nos?

Accepted Answer

Whenever a conjugated verb ends in -s, -z, or -r and is followed by the pronoun -nos, that final consonant is dropped. Here, the first-person plural maravilhamos loses its final -s before attaching the pronoun, resulting in maravilhamo-nos.

Question 2

Could I just say Maravilhamos com o recife without the -nos?

Accepted Answer

No, because in this context maravilhar-se is an inherent pronominal verb, meaning it requires a reflexive pronoun to mean "to marvel". If you just used maravilhar without a pronoun, it would mean "to dazzle" or "to amaze" someone else, which would require a direct object instead of the preposition com.

Question 3

The English translation says "marvel at", so why does the Portuguese sentence use the preposition com?

Accepted Answer

The verb maravilhar-se has a fixed prepositional regime that requires com to introduce the object of your amazement. While English uses "at", you have to think of the Portuguese structure as "marveling oneself with" something.

Question 4

Why is it recife de coral instead of just recife coral?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, coral is primarily a noun. When you want to modify one noun (like recife, meaning reef) with another noun (like coral), you generally must link them with the preposition de, literally translating to "reef of coral".

Maravilhamo-nos com o recife de coral.

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