Question 1

How can we rewrite this sentence using the compound gerund from our current lesson?

Accepted Answer

You can replace the causal phrase Como o companheirismo foi muito importante with the compound gerund: Tendo o companheirismo sido muito importante, estamos todos agradecidos. The compound gerund (tendo + past participle) is heavily used in written Portuguese to express a cause or reason, doing the exact same job as como (since) does in this sentence.

Question 2

Why does como mean "since" here instead of "how"?

Accepted Answer

When placed at the very beginning of a sentence, como almost always translates to "since" or "because" to introduce a reason. If you wanted to express this same idea but put the reason second, you would use porque instead: Estamos todos agradecidos porque o companheirismo foi muito importante. (Note that it is generally considered incorrect to start a sentence with porque in written Portuguese).

Question 3

Why use foi (from ser) instead of esteve (from estar) when describing the camaraderie as important?

Accepted Answer

Even though the camaraderie belonged to a specific, finished event, "importance" is treated as an inherent characteristic in Portuguese, requiring ser. You are describing what the camaraderie fundamentally was, not a temporary condition it was in.

Question 4

Why do we use estamos rather than somos with agradecidos?

Accepted Answer

We use estar because feeling grateful is a temporary state of mind resulting from this specific situation. If you said somos todos agradecidos, it would mean "we are grateful people" as a permanent personality trait.

Como o companheirismo foi muito importante, estamos todos agradecidos.

Breakdown of Como o companheirismo foi muito importante, estamos todos agradecidos.

Questions & Answers about Como o companheirismo foi muito importante, estamos todos agradecidos.

Learn Como o companheirismo foi muito importante, estamos todos agradecidos and more in Portuguese