Breakdown of Não atravesses a rua sem olhar.
não
not / no
a rua
the street
olhar
to look
sem
without
atravessar
to cross
Questions & Answers about Não atravesses a rua sem olhar.
Why does atravesses end in '-es' when the verb is atravessar (an '-ar' verb)?
Because this is a negative command. To tell someone not to do something, Portuguese doesn't use the regular imperative; it uses a form called the present subjunctive. For regular '-ar' verbs, the tu (informal you) ending becomes '-es'. So, instead of the regular present tense atravessas, we use não atravesses.
What would the affirmative command ('Cross!') be for this same person?
Who is being addressed in this sentence, and how would you say it formally?
Why does the sentence use the infinitive olhar (to look) instead of a word like olhando (looking)?
In English, we use the '-ing' form after prepositions ('without looking'). But in Portuguese, you must always use the infinitive (the basic, unconjugated verb form) after a preposition like sem (without). So, 'without looking' is built using the infinitive: sem olhar.
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