Breakdown of Eu estudar o zodíaco e o mapa astral?!
eu
I
e
and
estudar
to study
o mapa
the map
o zodíaco
the zodiac
astral
astral
Questions & Answers about Eu estudar o zodíaco e o mapa astral?!
Why does the sentence use the infinitive estudar instead of a conjugated form like estudo?
This is the Repudiation Infinitive (Infinitivo de repúdio). It is used in exclamatory questions to express shock, indignation, or total rejection of an idea. By pairing the subject directly with the infinitive, you are reacting to the very concept of the action: The idea of me studying the zodiac?! No way!
The English translation says 'Me study...?!'. Why does Portuguese use the subject pronoun eu instead of an object pronoun like mim?
In colloquial English, we often use object pronouns for this kind of exclamation ('Me do that?!', 'Him apologize?!'). However, in Portuguese, the verb still requires a valid grammatical subject, even in the infinitive form. Therefore, you must use the subject pronouns (eu, tu, ele, etc.). Saying mim estudar is grammatically impossible because mim can never perform an action.
If I wanted to express this same disbelief about 'us' doing it, would the verb change?
Yes, it would. The repudiation infinitive uses the personal infinitive, which means it still takes endings to match the subject. If you were shocked at the idea of 'us' studying the zodiac, you would say Nós estudarmos o zodíaco?!, adding the -mos ending to the infinitive to match nós.
Is a mapa astral just a map of the night sky?
No. While mapa means map and astral relates to the stars, the phrase mapa astral is the standard Portuguese term for an astrological 'birth chart' or 'natal chart'. If you were talking about literal astronomy rather than astrology, you would use a term like mapa estelar (star map).
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