Breakdown of O primeiro passo é encriptar a mensagem por se recear um ciberataque.
ser
to be
um
a / an / some (all forms)
a mensagem
the message
por
through / by / for / because of
o passo
the step
primeiro
first
se
one (impersonal)
recear
to fear
encriptar
to encrypt
o ciberataque
the cyberattack
Questions & Answers about O primeiro passo é encriptar a mensagem por se recear um ciberataque.
Why is the pronoun se placed before the verb recear instead of after it?
The preposition por acts as a magnet that pulls the pronoun before the infinitive verb, causing proclisis (por se recear). Without the preposition, an infinitive normally attaches the pronoun at the end with a hyphen, such as recear-se. Other prepositions that trigger this same magnetic effect with infinitives are para, sem, and até.
Why does the sentence use por here instead of a regular conjunction like porque to express cause?
The preposition por followed by an infinitive is a very natural way to express cause in Portuguese, translating roughly to 'due to' or 'out of'. Here, por se recear means 'due to fearing' or 'because a cyberattack is feared'. If you wanted to use porque, you would need to conjugate the verb instead of using the infinitive, resulting in porque se receia.
What is the exact role of se in the phrase por se recear?
It acts as the passive or impersonal se. Instead of specifying exactly who is afraid, it makes the statement general. It translates best to 'because one fears' or 'because a cyberattack is feared'.
Why isn't encriptar preceded by a preposition in O primeiro passo é encriptar?
The infinitive encriptar acts as the subject complement here, essentially defining what the first step is. Just like in English ('The first step is to encrypt'), you can directly link the subject and the infinitive with the verb ser (é) without needing an extra connecting preposition.
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