Breakdown of Não acho que ela esteja a estragar o penteado com tanta laca.
não
not / no
ela
she
estar
to be (temporary / location)
com
with
a
to / at (direction)
achar
to reckon / to find
que
that (conjunction)
tanto
so much, as much (tanto, tanta, tantos, tantas)
o penteado
the hairstyle
estragar
to ruin (to spoil, damage)
a laca
the hairspray
Questions & Answers about Não acho que ela esteja a estragar o penteado com tanta laca.
Why do we use esteja a estragar instead of just estrague here?
The phrase esteja a estragar is the Continuous Subjunctive, made with the Present Subjunctive of estar plus a and the infinitive. We use it to emphasize that the action is happening right now. If we used the simple Present Subjunctive (estrague), it would sound more like a general statement: I do not think she ruins her hairstyle.
What exactly triggers the subjunctive esteja in this sentence?
The subjunctive is triggered by Não acho que (I do not think that). While the affirmative Acho que expresses a concrete opinion and takes the indicative, making it negative introduces doubt, which requires the subjunctive in Portuguese.
Why does the Portuguese sentence say o penteado (the hairstyle) instead of o seu penteado (her hairstyle)?
In Portuguese, it is standard to use the definite article instead of a possessive pronoun when the context makes it obvious who the object belongs to. This is the default rule for body parts, clothing, and personal grooming aspects like o penteado.
Why do we use tanta instead of tão for "so much"?
Because laca (hairspray) is a noun. You use tão (so) before adjectives or adverbs, but when modifying a noun to say "so much" or "so many", you must use a form of tanto. Since laca is a feminine singular noun, it becomes tanta laca.
Learn Não acho que ela esteja a estragar o penteado com tanta laca 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