Breakdown of Tu não reparaste na confusão que eles fizeram?
tu
you
não
not / no
eles
they (m)
em
in / on / at
fazer
to do
que
that (conjunction)
a confusão
the mess
reparar
to notice
Questions & Answers about Tu não reparaste na confusão que eles fizeram?
Why is the verb fizeram instead of something regular like "fazeram"?
Fazer (to do/make) is highly irregular in the Simple Past (Pretérito Perfeito Simples). For eles, elas, and vocês, the root of the verb changes entirely from faz- to fiz-, making the correct form fizeram.
Why does the sentence use na before confusão instead of just a?
The verb reparar, when used to mean "to notice", always requires the preposition em. In Portuguese, you don't just notice a mess, you notice "in" a mess. When you combine em with the feminine word for "the" (a), it contracts into na.
Doesn't reparaste mean "you repaired"?
It can, but it is a very common false friend! While reparar does mean "to repair", in everyday Portuguese it is frequently used to mean "to notice". The preposition em right after the verb is your biggest clue that it means "to notice" in this sentence.
Why use the Simple Past (fizeram) instead of the Imperfect tense (faziam)?
We use the Simple Past here because the sentence refers to a specific, completed action in the past: they made a mess at one specific time. If you used the Imperfect (faziam), it would translate to "the mess they used to make" repeatedly or as a habit.
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