Breakdown of A prudência faz-nos falta, a menos que tenhas a certeza de que o teto não se desmorona.
não
not / no
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
ter
to have
que
that (conjunction)
-nos
them (m, after nasal sound)
o teto
the ceiling / the roof
a certeza
the certainty
a menos que
unless
fazer falta
the lack
desmoronar-se
to collapse
a prudência
the prudence
Questions & Answers about A prudência faz-nos falta, a menos que tenhas a certeza de que o teto não se desmorona.
Why is there a de before que in a certeza de que?
In English, we usually drop prepositions before "that" (like saying "sure that"). However, in Portuguese, if a word or expression requires a preposition, you must keep it even before the conjunction que. The base phrase here is ter a certeza de (to have the certainty of). When connecting it to the clause que o teto não se desmorona, the de stays right where it is.
Since a menos que triggered the subjunctive for tenhas, why is the final verb desmorona in the indicative?
Each clause has its own trigger! The conjunction a menos que (unless) forces the verb immediately following it (tenhas) into the subjunctive. However, desmorona is controlled by the phrase a certeza de que (the certainty that). Because having certainty declares a fact in the subject's mind, it triggers the indicative mood. If the sentence were negative (não tenhas a certeza de que), it would then trigger the subjunctive.
Why does a menos que force ter into the subjunctive (tenhas)?
The conjunction a menos que (unless) always triggers the subjunctive because it introduces a hypothetical condition or a potential exception, rather than a stated fact.
How does faz-nos falta translate to "we need"?
The expression fazer falta a literally means "to be lacking to" or "to be missed by". So a prudência faz-nos falta translates literally to "prudence is lacking to us". While you could use the verb precisar (to need), using fazer falta is an incredibly natural and common way in European Portuguese to express that you need, miss, or are lacking something.
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