Breakdown of O homem de quem a médica cuida precisa de descansar.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
quem
who
a médica
the doctor (f)
o homem
the man
precisar de
to need
descansar
to rest
cuidar
to take care
Questions & Answers about O homem de quem a médica cuida precisa de descansar.
Why is it de quem instead of just quem?
In English, we often leave prepositions at the end of a clause (takes care of). In Portuguese, the preposition must come before the relative pronoun. The verb cuidar (to take care) requires the preposition de. Since we are talking about a person, we place de right before quem (whom), resulting in de quem.
Could I use que instead of quem here?
Not in this case. When a relative pronoun follows a preposition (like de) and refers to a person, you must use quem. You use que for people only when there is no preposition involved, such as in o homem que a médica viu (the man that the doctor saw).
Why is there another de after precisa?
This is a great refresher on the verb precisar (to need). It almost always requires the preposition de when connecting to another action (an infinitive verb). Because it is followed by descansar (to rest), the correct structure is precisa de descansar.
Who is doing the resting, the man or the doctor?
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