Question 1

What is the difference in meaning between estão apressados and são apressados?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, estão apressados means they are currently in a rush or hurrying, specifically because of the rain today. If we used the verb ser (são apressados), it would describe a permanent personality trait, meaning the people are generally hasty, impatient, or prone to rushing through life.

Question 2

Could I use the phrase têm pressa instead of estão apressados here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely! Têm pressa (literally "they have rush") is a very common alternative that means the exact same thing as estão apressados in this context. The main difference is grammatical: apressados acts as an adjective describing their temporary state, while pressa is a noun.

Question 3

Transeuntes is a new word for me. How is it used, and what is the singular form?

Accepted Answer

Transeuntes translates to "passersby" or people walking in a public space. The singular form is o transeunte or a transeunte; the noun itself doesn't change for gender, only the article does. It is a slightly formal word often found in news reports or literature. In casual spoken Portuguese, you might simply hear as pessoas na rua (the people on the street) or os peões (the pedestrians).

Question 4

Why does the sentence use por causa da chuva instead of just saying pela chuva?

Accepted Answer

While the preposition por (which forms pela with a) can sometimes express cause, the phrase por causa de is the most standard, unambiguous, and natural way to say "because of" in Portuguese. Since chuva is feminine, de combines with the article a to make da. Saying pela chuva here would sound a bit unnatural to a native speaker.

Os transeuntes estão apressados hoje por causa da chuva.

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