Breakdown of Tirei fotografias às pétalas da orquídea, as quais são brancas.
ser
to be
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
branco
white
a
to / at (direction)
tirar
to take
a fotografia
the photograph
as quais
which / who (f.pl)
a orquídea
the orchid
a pétala
the petal
Questions & Answers about Tirei fotografias às pétalas da orquídea, as quais são brancas.
Why use as quais instead of just que?
Since both fotografias and pétalas are feminine plural, how does as quais clear up the confusion?
Although as quais matches both words, this relative pronoun strongly points to the nearest matching noun. This links the white color directly to the pétalas rather than the fotografias, and completely rules out the singular orquídea.
Why does the sentence use às pétalas when the English translation says 'photographs of the petals'?
The Portuguese expression for taking a picture of something is tirar uma fotografia a. You literally take a photo 'to' the subject. We combine the preposition a with the feminine plural article as to create às.
Could I use as que instead of as quais?
No, because as que translates to 'the ones that'. That would imply the orchid has petals of several colors and you only photographed the white ones. The phrase as quais is used to add extra, non-essential descriptive information to the petals you just mentioned.
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