Breakdown of Eu preciso de ir por este caminho.
eu
I
ir
to go
este
this (este, esta, estes, estas)
precisar de
to need
por
through / by / for / because of
o caminho
the path / the way
Questions & Answers about Eu preciso de ir por este caminho.
Why didn't por combine with este to make a contraction?
In your current lesson, you learned that por combines with definite articles like o and a (the) to make pelo and pela. However, este means 'this'. The preposition por does not contract with demonstrative words like 'this' or 'that', so por and este remain as two separate words.
Why is there a de after preciso? Doesn't preciso already mean 'I need'?
Yes, preciso means 'I need'. But in Portuguese, the verb precisar (to need) usually requires the preposition de before an action or an object. To say 'I need to go', you literally say 'I need of to go', which is preciso de ir.
The English translation says 'take this path', but doesn't ir mean 'to go'?
Exactly! Literally, ir por este caminho translates to 'to go by this path' or 'to go through this path'. In Portuguese, using the verb ir (to go) along with the preposition por (by/through/via) is the standard way to express the English concept of 'taking' a specific route.
Why do we use este here instead of esta or isto?
Este is the masculine word for 'this' (referring to something close to the speaker). It must match the gender of the noun it describes, and caminho (path) is a masculine noun. You would use esta for a feminine noun, and isto only when referring to an unknown object or general idea, rather than a specific noun.
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