Question 1

How does adding -se change the meaning of perderam in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The verb perder normally means to lose something, like an object. By making it reflexive with -se, the verb perder-se undergoes a semantic shift to mean to get lost or to lose one's way. The girls didn't lose a physical item; they became lost themselves.

Question 2

Why is the pronoun attached to the end in perderam-se instead of coming before the verb?

Accepted Answer

In European Portuguese, the default pronoun position in an affirmative main clause is after the verb. Because the sentence starts directly with the subject As raparigas and has no negative words, adverbs, or conjunctions before the verb to pull the pronoun forward, -se must attach to the end.

Question 3

Could I say ficaram perdidas instead of perderam-se?

Accepted Answer

Yes, ficaram perdidas is grammatically correct and also translates to became lost. However, using the grammaticalised reflexive verb perder-se is the most natural and standard way to express getting lost in Portuguese.

Question 4

Why do we use é and not está for enorme?

Accepted Answer

We use é, from the verb ser, because the massive size is a permanent, inherent characteristic of this maze. If you used está, it would imply the maze had recently or temporarily grown to be huge, which does not make sense here.

As raparigas perderam-se porque o labirinto é enorme.

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