Breakdown of O plano resultou melhor do que esperávamos.
o plano
the plan
esperar
to hope
melhor
better / best
resultar
to work (out), to result
Questions & Answers about O plano resultou melhor do que esperávamos.
Why is 'worked out' translated as resultou instead of funcionou?
While funcionou means 'worked' in a mechanical or practical sense, resultar is used for outcomes or consequences. When a plan, idea, or situation 'works out' or yields a good result, European Portuguese uses resultar.
Could I say melhor que instead of melhor do que here?
Yes, both melhor que and melhor do que are perfectly correct for comparisons. Adding the word do before que is very common in European Portuguese and often sounds more natural to native speakers, but it does not change the meaning.
Why is the imperfect tense (esperávamos) used here instead of the simple past (esperámos)?
The imperfect is used because the expectation was an ongoing mental state that existed before the plan was executed. If you used the simple past (esperámos), it would sound like a single, completed action, which does not fit the context of having a continuous prior expectation.
Why do we use melhor here instead of mais bem?
Because melhor is the irregular comparative form of the adverb bem (well). You only use mais bem when it is placed directly before a past participle, like in mais bem feito (better made). Since it stands alone in this sentence, you must use melhor.
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