Breakdown of O interior é tão compacto que não temos nada que vestir.
ser
to be
não
not / no
ter
to have
tão
as / so
nada
nothing / anything
o
him/it (m)
que
that (conjunction)
vestir
to put on, to wear
o interior
the interior
compacto
compact
Questions & Answers about O interior é tão compacto que não temos nada que vestir.
Why does the sentence use nada que vestir instead of nada para vestir?
Both are grammatically correct and mean "nothing to wear," but que + infinitive is a very natural and common structure (an infinitival relative clause). It is frequently used immediately after indefinite pronouns like nada, tudo, algo, or muito to express purpose or obligation. You will often hear everyday phrases like muito que fazer (a lot to do) or nada que vestir (nothing to wear).
Since the subject is "we" (temos), shouldn't we use the personal infinitive vestirmos?
No, you stick to the standard, impersonal infinitive vestir here. In the structure of an indefinite pronoun + que + infinitive, the infinitive doesn't need to be conjugated to match the subject. The person doing the action is already clearly established by the main verb (temos).
Does tão compacto que trigger the subjunctive in the second half of the sentence?
No, it takes the indicative (temos). The structure tão + [adjective] + que introduces a consequence. Because it states a factual cause and its actual, real-world result ("so compact that we don't have..."), it uses the indicative mood rather than the subjunctive.
Just to review, why do we need both não and nada in não temos nada?
This is a standard Portuguese double negative. Whenever a negative pronoun like nada (nothing/anything), ninguém (nobody), or nunca (never) comes after the verb, you are required to put não before the verb. If nada started the clause, you would drop the não, but since it follows temos, the não is mandatory.
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