Breakdown of Eles trouxeram água para a mulher ofegante.
eles
they (m)
a mulher
the woman
a água
the water
a
to / at (direction)
para
to / for
trazer
to bring
ofegante
panting
Questions & Answers about Eles trouxeram água para a mulher ofegante.
Why use para a here instead of just à (to the)?
While you could say trouxeram água à mulher (they brought water to the woman), using para a emphasizes the purpose or beneficiary. It means the water was specifically gathered and intended for her benefit, rather than just physically handed in her direction.
Is ofegante related to a verb?
Yes, it comes from the verb ofegar (to pant or gasp). Words ending in -nte often act as adjectives derived from verbs, showing an ongoing state or characteristic. It functions almost exactly like using an English '-ing' word as an adjective, such as panting or breathing.
Trouxeram is notoriously easy to mix up with other irregular verbs. What is the root verb here?
It is the pretérito perfeito (simple past) of trazer (to bring). It is very common for learners to confuse it with the past tense of fazer (to do/make) or dizer (to say). A good trick is to remember that trazer forms in the past usually feature an x, such as eu trouxe and eles trouxeram.
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