Breakdown of A embarcação deve de ser inglesa.
ser
to be
inglês
English
a
to / at (direction)
dever de
must (probability)
a embarcação
the vessel
Questions & Answers about A embarcação deve de ser inglesa.
Why is there a de between deve and ser in this sentence?
In European Portuguese, when dever is used to express a strong probability or deduction (meaning "must be" as an assumption) rather than a strict obligation, it is often followed by the preposition de. Using deve de ser clearly shows you are guessing or deducing the vessel's origin based on evidence.
Could I say A embarcação deve ser inglesa without the de?
Yes, you can. While dever de + infinitive is the clearest and most traditional way to express probability, everyday speakers frequently drop the de. Without it, deve ser relies on context to tell whether it means probability or obligation, but keeping the de here removes any ambiguity.
Why does the adjective inglesa not have an accent mark, unlike the masculine inglês?
Adjectives of nationality that end in -ês in the masculine singular lose their circumflex accent when they take the feminine ending -a. Because embarcação is a feminine noun, the adjective changes from inglês to inglesa.
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