Breakdown of Há dois dias que eles preparam o complô silenciosamente.
eles
they (m)
dois
two
preparar
to prepare
o dia
the day
que
that (conjunction)
silencioso
silent
haver
ago / for (a period of time)
o complô
the plot (conspiracy)
Questions & Answers about Há dois dias que eles preparam o complô silenciosamente.
Why is the present tense verb preparam used when the English translation says 'have been preparing'?
In Portuguese, when an action started in the past and is still happening right now, you typically use the present tense. This is combined with the structure Há [time] que (Literally: 'There are [time] that'). While English requires the complex present perfect continuous tense, Portuguese simply expresses this as 'There are two days that they prepare the plot.'
Could I rewrite the time expression using desde (since)?
Yes, but the grammar structure changes slightly. If you use desde, you drop the que. You would say Desde há dois dias, eles preparam o complô (Since two days ago, they prepare the plot). The version used in this sentence, Há dois dias que, is extremely natural for spoken Portuguese and places a slight emphasis on the duration itself.
Since this lesson focuses on the spatial adverbs cá and lá, could I use cá in this sentence to add pragmatic focus?
Absolutely. You could say ...que eles cá preparam o complô silenciosamente. Even if they aren't physically 'here' in the room with you, adding cá gives a pragmatic focus. It implies the speaker feels highly involved in or aware of this ongoing situation, treating the plotting as a present, pressing reality rather than a distant fact.
Is complô a common word, or would native speakers prefer conspiração?
Both are very common. Complô is a direct borrowing from the French word 'complot' and is frequently used in journalism or everyday speech to describe a secret scheme. Conspiração is a perfect synonym, while you might also see trama, which translates to 'plot' but leans more towards the storyline of a book or a deceptive web of lies.
Why is the adverb silenciosamente placed at the very end of the sentence?
Adverbs of manner (words ending in -mente) usually follow the verb and its direct object, which is o complô in this case. Portuguese word order is relatively flexible, so you could technically say preparam silenciosamente o complô, but putting the adverb at the very end flows most naturally and places the final emphasis on the secrecy of the action.
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