Breakdown of Preciso do registo que fez a conservatória.
a
to / at (direction)
precisar de
to need
fazer
to do
o
him/it (m)
que
who / which / that (relative)
o registo
the record (registry, document)
a conservatória
the registry office
Questions & Answers about Preciso do registo que fez a conservatória.
Why is the word order fez a conservatória instead of a conservatória fez?
In Portuguese relative clauses (those starting with que), it is very common to invert the subject and the verb. So instead of que a conservatória fez, you get que fez a conservatória. This inversion is stylistically preferred, especially when the subject is a full noun rather than a short pronoun.
How can we tell that a conservatória is the subject making the record, rather than the object being made?
Grammatically, it is ambiguous! Because of the flexible word order, que fez a conservatória could technically mean 'that made the registry office'. Native speakers rely entirely on context and common sense here: a registry office creates a record, not the other way around.
What exactly is a conservatória?
A conservatória is a registry office in Portugal. It is a highly common word when dealing with local bureaucracy, such as the Conservatória do Registo Civil for birth certificates and marriages, or the Conservatória do Registo Predial for property deeds.
Just to review, why do we say do registo here instead of just o registo?
The verb precisar (to need) strongly pairs with the preposition de. In this sentence, de merges with the masculine definite article o (the) to form the contraction do.
Learn Preciso do registo que fez a conservatória 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