Breakdown of Antes de trabalhar, descansa o pulso de modo a não o prejudicar.
não
not / no
trabalhar
to work
descansar
to rest
o
him/it (m)
antes de
before
de modo a
in order to (in such a way as to)
o pulso
the wrist
prejudicar
to harm
Questions & Answers about Antes de trabalhar, descansa o pulso de modo a não o prejudicar.
Why use de modo a instead of just para to mean 'in order to'?
While para is perfectly correct, de modo a (along with de forma a) is widely used to express purpose or consequence, especially when emphasizing the manner or method of doing something. It elevates your vocabulary to a solid B2 level and is followed directly by the infinitive, just like para.
Why does the pronoun o come before the verb in não o prejudicar? Shouldn't it attach to the infinitive?
Normally, pronouns attach to the end of an infinitive verb. However, the negative word não acts as a strong grammar magnet. It pulls the pronoun o (which refers to o pulso) to the position immediately before the verb, resulting in não o prejudicar instead of não prejudicá-lo.
How do we know descansa is a command here and not just the present tense 'he/she rests'?
Context and the English translation tell us it is a command. Descansa is the affirmative imperative for the informal tu. If the speaker were addressing someone formally with você, the command would change to descanse.
Why is the infinitive used in Antes de trabalhar rather than the subjunctive?
Because the person working and the person resting are the same. When the subject is the same for both actions, Portuguese uses the preposition antes de followed by the infinitive. If the subjects were different, you would use antes que followed by the subjunctive.
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