Question 1

Why do we use antes de sair instead of the subjunctive antes que saiam?

Accepted Answer

Because the subject of both actions is the same ("They"). When the subject doesn't change, Portuguese prefers antes de followed by the infinitive (sair). You would use the trigger antes que plus the subjunctive if the subjects were different, for example: Eles costumam zangar-se antes que nós saiamos (They usually fall out before we go out).

Question 2

Why is "usually" translated as the verb costumam rather than an adverb like usualmente?

Accepted Answer

While you can use adverbs like normalmente or geralmente (e.g., Eles normalmente zangam-se), using the auxiliary verb costumar followed by an infinitive is the most natural and idiomatic way to express "usually" or "to be in the habit of" in Portuguese.

Question 3

I learned that zangar-se means "to get angry". Why is it translated as "fall out" here?

Accepted Answer

Zangar-se does mean "to get angry", but when a plural subject is involved, it is frequently used as a reciprocal verb meaning to get angry at each other. In English, we often express this relationship friction as "falling out" or "having an argument".

Question 4

Can the pronoun se attach to the auxiliary verb instead, like costumam-se zangar?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In European Portuguese, when you have an auxiliary verb plus an infinitive, you can usually attach the reflexive pronoun to either verb. Both costumam zangar-se and costumam-se zangar are grammatically correct and widely used by native speakers.

Eles costumam zangar-se antes de sair à noite.

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