Word
Eu havia de resumir a sebenta este fim de semana.
Meaning
I ought to summarize the course pack this weekend.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Eu havia de resumir a sebenta este fim de semana.
eu
I
o fim de semana
the weekend
este
this (este, esta, estes, estas)
haver de
shall / will / ought to / should
Questions & Answers about Eu havia de resumir a sebenta este fim de semana.
Why use havia de here when we already know devia for "should"?
While devia resumir simply states a general obligation, using the Imperfeito of haver de adds a specific nuance of unfulfilled intention or mild self-reproach. It gives the feeling of "I really ought to summarize (but I probably won't or haven't started)" or "I was supposed to."
What exactly is a sebenta?
A sebenta is a very common word in Portuguese university life. It refers to a course pack, study guide, or a bound collection of lecture notes. Fun fact: it comes from the word sebo (grease) because these student notes were historically passed down for years until they were grimy!
Why is a past tense verb (havia) used with a time phrase that could still be in the future (este fim de semana)?
Using the Imperfeito here expresses that the intention or obligation was already established in the past, much like saying "I was supposed to do this" in English. The Imperfeito is also frequently used in European Portuguese as a softened, less direct way to talk about present or future plans.
Can I leave out the preposition de and just say havia resumir?
No, the verb haver always requires the preposition de when it is used as an auxiliary verb followed by an infinitive. The fixed structure for this modal periphrasis is always haver de + infinitive.