Breakdown of O desfiladeiro é belíssimo, mas não tem nada de intocado.
ser
to be
não
not / no
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
mas
but
ter
to have
nada
nothing / anything
belo
beautiful (elevated), fine
intocado
untouched
o desfiladeiro
the gorge
Questions & Answers about O desfiladeiro é belíssimo, mas não tem nada de intocado.
Why do we need the word de before intocado?
This showcases the partitive adjective construction. When you follow an indefinite pronoun like nada (nothing), algo (something), or tudo (everything) with an adjective, you must connect them with the preposition de. Therefore, the phrase translates functionally as 'nothing of untouched'.
If we were talking about a feminine noun like a montanha instead of o desfiladeiro, would intocado change to intocada?
No, it would stay exactly the same. In the structure of indefinite pronoun + de + adjective, the adjective is always locked in the masculine singular form. It modifies the abstract pronoun nada, not the noun itself, so it never agrees with the noun's gender or number.
What is the difference between saying é belíssimo and é muito belo?
Belíssimo uses the absolute superlative suffix -íssimo, which elevates the intensity of the adjective. While muito belo (very beautiful) is perfectly correct, belíssimo (extremely beautiful) is more expressive and sounds slightly more sophisticated. It is a very common way in Portuguese to emphasize grandeur without using multiple words.
Why does the sentence use não tem nada (doesn't have nothing) instead of just tem nada?
Portuguese requires a double negative when the negative pronoun, like nada, appears after the verb. Unlike in English, these negatives do not cancel each other out; they work together to reinforce the negative meaning. Because nada comes after the verb tem, you are strictly required to place não before the verb.
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