Breakdown of Os convidados quiseram comer o bolo e agora aceitam a sobremesa.
e
and
agora
now
comer
to eat
o bolo
the cake
querer
to want
a sobremesa
the dessert
o convidado
the guest
aceitar
to accept
Questions & Answers about Os convidados quiseram comer o bolo e agora aceitam a sobremesa.
Why is the past tense of "querer" spelled as quiseram and not "quereram"?
Querer (to want) is highly irregular in the simple past tense. Instead of using the regular endings on the normal stem, the root of the word completely changes to quis-. For the "they" form (os convidados), we add -eram to make quiseram.
Why do we use the simple present tense aceitam if the English translation says "are accepting"?
While European Portuguese often uses estar a plus the infinitive for ongoing actions, the simple present tense is also frequently used to state what is happening in the moment. Because the sentence says agora (now), the simple present aceitam translates smoothly to "are accepting" in English.
Is there a difference in meaning between bolo and sobremesa?
Yes. O bolo specifically translates to "the cake" (like a slice of chocolate cake). A sobremesa is the broader term for "the dessert", which could be cake, fruit, pudding, or anything else served at the end of a meal.
Why does the sentence use the past tense for wanting the cake, but the present tense for the dessert?
It describes a sequence of events. First, the guests had the desire to eat the cake in the past (quiseram comer o bolo). Moving to the present moment (agora), they are actively accepting the general dessert (aceitam a sobremesa).
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