Breakdown of Ainda que tenhas musgo e areia, precisas de carvõezinhos para a humidade.
e
and
ter
to have
para
to / for
precisar de
to need
o
him/it (m)
ainda que
even if / even though
a humidade
the damp
o musgo
the moss
a areia
the sand
o carvão
the charcoal
Questions & Answers about Ainda que tenhas musgo e areia, precisas de carvõezinhos para a humidade.
How exactly do we get carvõezinhos from the root word carvão?
To make a diminutive plural with -zinhos, you first pluralize the base word, remove the final -s, and then add -zinhos. The plural of carvão is carvões. Drop the -s to get carvõe-, and attach -zinhos to form carvõezinhos.
Why is the verb ter conjugated in the subjunctive as tenhas here?
The phrase ainda que (even if / even though) is a strong trigger for the subjunctive mood. It introduces a concession or a hypothetical situation, forcing the verb that immediately follows it into the subjunctive.
If tenhas is in the subjunctive, why is precisas in the normal present indicative?
The subjunctive mood is only triggered in the dependent clause introduced by ainda que (the "even if" part). The main clause stating what you actually need (precisas de carvõezinhos) is a statement of fact, so it remains in the indicative.
Why do we say precisas de carvõezinhos instead of just precisas carvõezinhos?
In Portuguese, when the verb precisar (to need) is directly followed by a noun or pronoun, it usually requires the preposition de. You always "need of" the item.
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