Breakdown of Por mais que ele evite a polémica, nós cá sabemos a verdade.
ele
he
nós
we
a verdade
the truth
saber
to know
evitar
to avoid
por mais que
no matter how much
cá
as for me (emphatic particle)
a polémica
the controversy
Questions & Answers about Por mais que ele evite a polémica, nós cá sabemos a verdade.
How does cá work in this sentence? It usually means "here", right?
You are right that cá literally means "here", but in this sentence, it is used for pragmatic focus. It emphasizes the subject nós (we), creating a strong contrast with ele (he) from the first half of the sentence. It adds a conversational nuance similar to "as for us" or "we, on our end".
Why is evite in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative evita?
The present subjunctive evite is triggered by the expression por mais que (as much as / no matter how much). This phrase introduces a concession, meaning it acknowledges a circumstance that does not change the main outcome. In Portuguese, setting up this type of obstacle or concession strictly requires the subjunctive mood.
Could I use por muito que instead of por mais que in this context?
Yes, por muito que is a perfect synonym in this sentence and is heavily used in European Portuguese. Both expressions mean "no matter how much" and both require the following verb to be in the subjunctive.
If cá just adds emphasis, could we put it at the very end of the sentence?
No. When cá acts as a pragmatic particle to emphasize a subject or create contrast, it generally needs to sit right after that subject (nós) and before the verb (sabemos). If you moved it to the end of the sentence, it would revert to its literal meaning of a physical location, making it sound like "we know the truth inside this physical place", which ruins the intended contrast.
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