Breakdown of Trata-se de um ficheiro malicioso, e ele aproveitou a brecha para o enviar.
e
and
ele
he
um
a / an / some (all forms)
para
to / for
enviar
to send
o
him/it (m)
o ficheiro
the file
aproveitar
to enjoy
tratar-se de
to be a matter of / to concern
malicioso
malicious
a brecha
the breach
Questions & Answers about Trata-se de um ficheiro malicioso, e ele aproveitou a brecha para o enviar.
Why is the pronoun before the verb in para o enviar instead of attached to the end like para enviá-lo?
Because the preposition para triggers proclisis, meaning it pulls the pronoun before the verb. While you have likely seen object pronouns attached to the end of infinitives, certain prepositions like para, por, sem, and até act as magnets in European Portuguese. They force the pronoun (in this case, o referring to the file) to sit between the preposition and the infinitive.
How does trata-se de work here, and could I just use the verb ser?
You could just say é um ficheiro (it is a file), but trata-se de is a highly common B2-level expression meaning "it is a matter of" or "it is a case of". It is used in slightly more formal, explanatory, or journalistic contexts, which fits perfectly when explaining a technical issue like a malicious file. Note that this usage is impersonal and always stays in the third-person singular.
In English, we say "took advantage of". Why is there no de after aproveitou?
The non-reflexive verb aproveitar means "to make good use of" or "to seize" an opportunity, and it takes a direct object with no preposition. There is a reflexive form, aproveitar-se de, which does use a preposition, but it implies a manipulative or exploitative kind of "taking advantage of" (often regarding a person's weakness). Here, seizing the opportunity of the system breach simply uses aproveitar a brecha.
Is ficheiro the standard word for a computer file in Portugal?
Yes! In European Portuguese, ficheiro is the everyday word for a computer file. If you have been exposed to Brazilian Portuguese, you might be used to the word arquivo, but in Portugal, an arquivo is strictly a historical archive, a physical filing room, or a compressed zip file.
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