Breakdown of Os vizinhos ouviram um tiro durante a noite.
a noite
the night
ouvir
to hear
o vizinho
the neighbor (m)
durante
during
o tiro
the shot, the gunshot
Questions & Answers about Os vizinhos ouviram um tiro durante a noite.
Why use ouviram instead of escutaram here?
In Portuguese, ouvir means to hear as an involuntary physical sense, while escutar means to actively listen and pay attention. Since a gunshot is a sudden noise that wakes or startles you without you actively listening for it, ouviram is the correct verb.
What is the difference between saying durante a noite versus à noite or de noite?
Durante a noite emphasizes the span of time, meaning the event happened at some point in the middle of that specific night. À noite is a general time marker for in the evening or at night, and de noite usually describes the general state of it being nighttime or a habitual nighttime action.
Could I translate gunshot as um disparo instead of um tiro?
Yes, both um tiro and um disparo are correct for a gunshot. Tiro is the most common and natural choice in everyday conversation, whereas disparo sounds slightly more clinical or formal, often appearing in journalism or police reports.
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