Breakdown of Ele quase que estilhaçou o vidro incandescente!
ele
he
o
him/it (m)
quase
almost
o vidro
the glass (material)
que
expletive que after 'quase' (emphatic particle)
estilhaçar
to shatter
incandescente
incandescent
Questions & Answers about Ele quase que estilhaçou o vidro incandescente!
What is the purpose of the word que in quase que? Can I just say Ele quase estilhaçou?
The word que here is an expletive particle (called a partícula de realce in Portuguese). It doesn't add any grammatical meaning and doesn't translate to anything in English. Its only job is to add a little emphasis or make the rhythm of the sentence flow better. You can absolutely drop it and say Ele quase estilhaçou, which means exactly the same thing.
We've learned that expressions ending in que often require the subjunctive. Why is estilhaçou in the indicative?
That is a great observation, and a very common trap! Because que is just an optional emphasis word here and not a conjunction linking two clauses, it doesn't trigger the subjunctive. The verb estilhaçar stays in the normal past tense (Pretérito Perfeito), exactly as it would if you simply used quase.
Could I use partiu or quebrou instead of estilhaçou?
The adjective incandescente comes after vidro. Could it come before the noun for emphasis?
In Portuguese, placing an adjective before the noun usually gives it a figurative, poetic, or subjective meaning. Since incandescente (incandescent or glowing hot) describes a literal, objective physical property of the glass here, it sounds much more natural placed after the noun: o vidro incandescente.
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