Duvido que ela já esteja a pôr batom e laca.
I doubt she's already putting on lipstick and hairspray.
Breakdown of Duvido que ela já esteja a pôr batom e laca.
e
and
ela
she
estar
to be (temporary / location)
a
to / at (direction)
já
already
que
that (conjunction)
pôr
to put
duvidar
to doubt
o batom
the lipstick
a laca
the hairspray
Questions & Answers about Duvido que ela já esteja a pôr batom e laca.
Why are we using esteja a pôr instead of just ponha?
The phrase Duvido que expresses doubt, which triggers the subjunctive mood. To capture the continuous English meaning ("is putting on right now"), we use the continuous subjunctive. This is formed with the present subjunctive of estar (esteja) followed by a and the infinitive (pôr). Just using ponha would sound more like "I doubt she puts on" in a general or future sense.
Why does the verb pôr have a circumflex accent?
The accent on pôr (to put) is used to distinguish the verb from the preposition por (by/for). This is one of the differential accents that was kept in the Portuguese spelling agreement because the two words are pronounced differently and are both very common.
Is pôr the standard verb for applying makeup like batom?
Yes, pôr is incredibly versatile and is the most natural choice for putting on makeup, clothing, and accessories. While you could use aplicar (to apply), pôr is what native speakers usually say in everyday conversation in Portugal.
Could we place já somewhere else in this sentence?
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