Breakdown of Precisamos de uma dica para solucionar o quebra-cabeças.
um
a / an / some (all forms)
para
to / for
precisar de
to need
o
him/it (m)
o quebra-cabeças
the puzzle (jigsaw, game)
a dica
the hint
solucionar
to solve
Questions & Answers about Precisamos de uma dica para solucionar o quebra-cabeças.
Why does quebra-cabeças end in an 's' even though it uses the singular article o?
Quebra-cabeças is a compound noun formed by combining a verb (quebra, meaning breaks) and a plural noun (cabeças, meaning heads). In Portuguese, compound nouns made of a verb and a noun almost always keep the noun in the plural form, even when referring to a single item. You rely on the article to show the actual number: o quebra-cabeças for one puzzle, and os quebra-cabeças for multiple puzzles.
Is precisamos in the present tense or the past tense here?
In writing, it can be either! For regular -ar verbs, the nós form is spelled exactly the same in both the present tense and the simple past (Pretérito Perfeito). We know it means 'we need' here purely from context. However, in spoken European Portuguese, they sound different: the stressed 'a' in the present tense precisamos is pronounced as a closed sound, while in the past tense it is pronounced with a wider, open 'a'.
Could I use resolver instead of solucionar to say 'solve'?
Why use para instead of por before the verb solucionar?
You need para because it introduces an objective or purpose, translating to 'in order to'. If you used por, it would change the grammar to express a cause or reason. Para solucionar means your goal is to solve it, whereas por solucionar would mean something is 'yet to be solved' or was done because of solving it.
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