Question 1

Could usamos also mean "We used" in the past tense here?

Accepted Answer

In written European Portuguese, no. The present tense is usamos, but the simple past tense (pretérito perfeito) for the nós form of regular -ar verbs takes an acute accent: usámos. In spoken Portuguese, you will also hear a clear difference: the 'a' in the past tense is pronounced more openly than the closed 'a' in the present tense.

Question 2

Why do we use para instead of por before afastar?

Accepted Answer

Here, para expresses a direct purpose or goal, acting exactly like the English phrase "in order to". Whenever you want to say "in order to [do an action]", you will use para followed by the infinitive verb.

Question 3

What is the literal meaning of afastar?

Accepted Answer

The verb afastar literally means "to distance" or "to move away". It is related to the word afastado, which means "far" or "remote". By "distancing" the intruder, you are keeping them away.

Question 4

How would the sentence change if we were the ones getting away from the intruder?

Accepted Answer

You would need to make the verb reflexive. To say "We use the whistle to get away from the intruder", you would say: Usamos o apito para nos afastarmos do intruso. This uses the reflexive pronoun nos and the personal infinitive afastarmos to show that we are distancing ourselves.

Usamos o apito para afastar o intruso.

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