Word
Os funcionários acabam de declarar a greve.
Meaning
The employees have just declared the strike.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Os funcionários acabam de declarar a greve.
o funcionário
the employee
acabar de
to have just (done something)
declarar
to declare
a greve
the strike
Questions & Answers about Os funcionários acabam de declarar a greve.
Why does 'acabam de declarar' mean 'have just declared' instead of 'finish declaring'?
The verb acabar usually means 'to finish'. However, when you combine it with the preposition de and an infinitive verb (like declarar), it becomes a set phrase meaning that an action 'has just' happened.
Why is acabam in the present tense if the action already happened?
In Portuguese, using the present tense of acabar in this structure emphasizes that the action was completed right this very second. English uses the present perfect ('have just declared'), but Portuguese simply uses the present tense of acabar to get the same exact meaning.
Who exactly are os funcionários?
A funcionário is an employee, staff member, or civil servant. It is a very common word for anyone who works for a company, organization, or the government.