Breakdown of O tatuador vai tatuar-te o braço, se bem que doa um pouco.
um
a / an / some (all forms)
ir
to go
pouco
little
te
you (informal object)
doer
to hurt
o braço
the arm
o tatuador
the tattoo artist
tatuar
to tattoo
se bem que
even though
Questions & Answers about O tatuador vai tatuar-te o braço, se bem que doa um pouco.
Why do we use the subjunctive form doa after se bem que?
The phrase se bem que (even though / although) is a concessive conjunction. This means it introduces a condition that contrasts with the main action but doesn't stop it from happening. In Portuguese, these types of conjunctions almost always require the subjunctive mood.
Wait, is doa the verb doer? I thought 'it hurts' was dói.
Yes, it is! Dói is the present indicative form, which you use for stating a direct fact. However, because se bem que forces us into the subjunctive mood, we have to use the irregular present subjunctive form, which is doa.
Why does the sentence use tatuar-te o braço instead of tatuar o teu braço?
When talking about actions done to body parts, European Portuguese typically avoids possessive pronouns like teu. Instead, it is much more natural to use an indirect object pronoun (-te, meaning 'to you') combined with the definite article (o, meaning 'the'). Literally, it translates to 'tattoo the arm to you'.
Can I use embora instead of se bem que here?
Yes, you can. Embora is the most common way to say 'although' or 'even though' and it works exactly the same way, also triggering the subjunctive (embora doa um pouco). Se bem que is just an alternative phrase that means the exact same thing and makes your Portuguese sound very natural and varied.
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