Breakdown of Quer as provisões escasseiem, quer sobrem, não faças a armadilha.
não
not / no
a
to / at (direction)
fazer
to do
quer
whether
sobrar
to be left over
a provisão
the provision
escassear
to become scarce
a armadilha
the trap
Questions & Answers about Quer as provisões escasseiem, quer sobrem, não faças a armadilha.
Why are the verbs escasseiem and sobrem in the present subjunctive?
The structure quer... quer... translates to "whether... or..." and is used to present alternative possibilities. Because these alternatives are hypothetical scenarios rather than confirmed facts, Portuguese requires both verbs in this structure to be conjugated in the subjunctive mood.
Why does escasseiem have an extra "i" in it? Shouldn't it be escasseem since the infinitive is escassear?
Verbs ending in -ear (like escassear, passear, or odiar) undergo a spelling change to help with pronunciation. They add an "i" to the stem in all the "boot" forms (I, you, he/she, they) in both the present indicative and present subjunctive. This is why the third-person plural present subjunctive is escasseiem.
Could I place the subject differently, such as Quer escasseiem as provisões...?
Yes, you absolutely can! Portuguese word order is very flexible. Placing as provisões right after the first quer is just a stylistic choice. It establishes the subject immediately, allowing the second half of the alternative (quer sobrem) to be punchy and concise since the subject is already understood.
Why is the command "do not make" translated as não faças instead of não faz?
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