Breakdown of O teu chefe não te explica como alcançar o sucesso?
não
not / no
como
how
teu
your (informal, m/f/pl: teu, tua, teus, tuas)
o chefe
the boss (m)
explicar
to explain
te
you (informal object)
o sucesso
the success
alcançar
to achieve
Questions & Answers about O teu chefe não te explica como alcançar o sucesso?
Why does te come before the verb explica here?
In European Portuguese, object pronouns usually attach to the end of the verb. However, certain magnet words pull the pronoun in front of the verb. The negative word não is one of the strongest magnet words, which is why it becomes não te explica instead of não explica-te.
Is te an indirect object here? How do we know?
Yes, te is the indirect object pronoun meaning "to you". We know it is indirect because of how the verb explicar works: you explain something (the direct object) to someone (the indirect object). Here, the boss is explaining something to you.
Why is alcançar left in the infinitive form rather than being conjugated?
When expressing "how to do something", Portuguese uses como followed directly by the infinitive form of the verb. So, "how to achieve" translates simply to como alcançar.
Why is there an O before teu chefe?
In European Portuguese, you almost always put a definite article like o or a before a possessive word like teu (your). You can think of it as literally saying "the your boss".
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