Breakdown of Não uso essa essência, aliás, prefiro a baunilha.
não
not / no
esse
that (esse, essa, esses, essas)
preferir
to prefer
usar
to use / to wear
a essência
the essence
aliás
in fact / rather
a baunilha
the vanilla
Questions & Answers about Não uso essa essência, aliás, prefiro a baunilha.
How is aliás functioning in this specific sentence?
In this sentence, aliás acts as a discourse marker of rectification. It corrects or refines the first clause, acting like "rather," "in fact," or "better yet" in English. While you might know aliás as "by the way" for adding information, here it shifts the statement from what you do not use to the alternative that you actually prefer.
Why do we need the definite article a before baunilha?
In Portuguese, definite articles are required when talking about general concepts, substances, or categories. Because you are stating a general preference for vanilla, you must say prefiro a baunilha rather than just prefiro baunilha, even though English drops the article.
Could I use aquela instead of essa in this sentence?
You could, but it would change the context. Using essa implies the essence is physically near the person you are speaking to, or that they just mentioned it in conversation. If the essence were physically far from both of you, or you were bringing up a distant past topic, you would use aquela.
Is essência used exactly like "essence" in English?
It is very similar, but it is used more frequently in everyday Portuguese for physical things. Aside from meaning the abstract core of something, essência is the standard word for a culinary flavoring extract (like vanilla) or a concentrated fragrance and essential oil.
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