Breakdown of Depois de nós prensarmos o queijo, a cura tem de ser perfeita.
ser
to be
nós
we
o queijo
the cheese
ter de
to have to
depois de
after
perfeito
perfect
prensar
to press
a cura
the curing
Questions & Answers about Depois de nós prensarmos o queijo, a cura tem de ser perfeita.
Why do we use the personal infinitive prensarmos here instead of the regular infinitive prensar?
In this sentence, the subject of the first action is nós (we), but the subject of the main clause is a cura (the curing). When we use antes de or depois de and the subjects of the two clauses are different, we must use the Personal Infinitive. If we used the regular uninflected infinitive and said Depois de prensar, it would imply that the curing process itself is what is pressing the cheese!
Is it mandatory to include the pronoun nós before prensarmos?
Could I use the subjunctive instead and say "Depois que nós prensemos"?
You could, but it would sound unnatural in Portugal. In European Portuguese, speakers strongly prefer using depois de + Personal Infinitive to express this kind of time sequence. While depois que + Subjunctive is grammatically valid and very common in Brazilian Portuguese, a native speaker in Portugal will almost always opt for the infinitive structure shown in this sentence.
Why does the sentence use tem de ser instead of tem que ser?
For expressing obligation or necessity (meaning "must" or "have to"), ter de is the standard, grammatically correct choice in European Portuguese. You will absolutely hear native speakers use ter que colloquially for obligations, but traditionally, ter que means "to have something to do" (for example, Tenho muito que fazer). At a B2 level, sticking to ter de for obligations is the safest and most natural habit to build.
Does cura just mean "cure" like in medicine?
In medical contexts, cura does mean "cure" or "healing". However, in gastronomy and food production—specifically with cheese, wine, or meats—a cura refers to the "curing", "aging", or "maturation" process.
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