Breakdown of Há algo de intocado nesta cascata.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
haver
to be (there is / there are)
em
in / on / at
este
this (+ noun)
algo
something
intocado
untouched
a cascata
the waterfall
Questions & Answers about Há algo de intocado nesta cascata.
Why is there a de between algo and intocado?
This is a special structure in Portuguese called the partitive construction. When you want an adjective to describe an indefinite pronoun like algo (something), nada (nothing), or tudo (everything), you link them with the preposition de. Because of this, 'something untouched' translates to algo de intocado.
The word cascata is feminine, so why is the adjective intocado in the masculine form?
The adjective intocado is describing the indefinite pronoun algo (something), not the noun cascata. In this specific structure (indefinite pronoun + de + adjective), the adjective always defaults to the masculine singular form, completely ignoring the gender of other nouns in the sentence.
Could I use the verb ter instead of haver and say Tem algo de intocado?
In European Portuguese, the verb haver is the standard way to express existence (there is or there are). While using ter for this purpose is standard in Brazilian Portuguese and sometimes heard in highly informal speech in Portugal, you should stick to Há in this context to sound natural and correct in standard European Portuguese.
What is the difference between a cascata and other words for waterfall like catarata?
A cascata usually refers to a smaller, more picturesque waterfall. If you are talking about massive, powerful waterfalls like Niagara Falls, you would use the word cataratas. You will also frequently hear the phrase queda de água, which is a versatile term that works for a waterfall of absolutely any size.
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