Breakdown of Precisamos de uma desculpa porque a culpa é nossa.
ser
to be
um
a / an / some (all forms)
nosso
our (m/f/pl: nosso, nossa, nossos, nossas)
precisar de
to need
a desculpa
the excuse
a culpa
the fault
porque
because
Questions & Answers about Precisamos de uma desculpa porque a culpa é nossa.
Why is porque written as one word here?
In Portuguese, porque written as a single word means because. It is a conjunction that joins the two parts of the sentence, explaining the reason for needing an excuse. You will see it as two words, por que, when it means why in a question.
Why do we need the word de after Precisamos?
The verb precisar (to need) usually requires the preposition de (of or from) right after it when you are saying you need a thing or a person. So in Portuguese, you essentially say you are in need of an excuse (precisamos de uma desculpa).
Doesn't desculpa normally mean sorry?
It does! When you make a mistake and say Desculpa, you are literally saying Excuse me. Here, it is being used as a regular noun meaning an excuse or an apology.
Why does the sentence end with nossa instead of nosso?
Nossa means ours. Possessive words in Portuguese must match the gender of the thing being possessed, not the gender of the owners. Since it refers to a culpa (the fault), which is a feminine word, you must use the feminine form nossa.
Why is the word for we (nós) missing from the beginning of the sentence?
In Portuguese, it is very common to drop the subject pronoun because the verb itself tells you who is doing the action. The ending of Precisamos makes it completely clear that we are the ones who need the excuse.
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