Breakdown of A mensagem diz para nós corrermos até ao primeiro posto.
nós
we
a
to / at (direction)
para
to / for
a mensagem
the message
dizer
to say
até
until
correr
to run
primeiro
first
o posto
the checkpoint
Questions & Answers about A mensagem diz para nós corrermos até ao primeiro posto.
Why do we use the personal infinitive corrermos here instead of the subjunctive?
When reporting a command or instruction, we often use para. Because para is a preposition, it requires an infinitive verb rather than a subjunctive one. Since the action is performed by us, we conjugate it into the personal infinitive form corrermos to clearly show who is supposed to run.
Is the pronoun nós required before corrermos?
It is not strictly required because the ending of corrermos already tells us the subject is we. However, including nós makes the instruction clearer and adds a natural emphasis, sounding very much like the English phrase says for us to run.
Could we use the subjunctive to express this same reported command?
Yes! You could replace the preposition para with the conjunction que, which would then force the subjunctive: A mensagem diz que nós corramos até ao primeiro posto. Both are correct, but using para with the personal infinitive is highly typical in everyday Portuguese for passing on directives.
Why does the sentence use até ao instead of just até o?
In European Portuguese, when the preposition até (meaning up to or as far as) is used for a spatial destination, it is traditionally followed by the preposition a. Because primeiro posto requires the masculine definite article o, the a and o combine to form ao.
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