Breakdown of Os engenheiros devem ajudar os operários.
ajudar
to help
dever
should / ought to
o engenheiro
the engineer
o operário
the worker
Questions & Answers about Os engenheiros devem ajudar os operários.
Why is there no preposition between devem and ajudar?
When using modal verbs like dever (must/should) or poder (can) to express an obligation or ability, the second verb follows immediately in its infinitive form (ajudar). You don't need to add a linking preposition like a or de between them.
Could I use têm de instead of devem here?
What is the difference between operários and trabalhadores?
Trabalhadores is a general word for "workers" in any field or profession. Operários specifically refers to manual laborers, factory workers, or construction workers. Since this sentence is about engineers, it makes sense that they are helping the manual operários on their site.
If I wanted to say "Engineers must help workers" in general (without "The"), would I remove the word Os?
No, you would keep it! In Portuguese, definite articles (o, a, os, as) are required when talking about general categories, professions, or concepts. Depending on the broader context, Os engenheiros can mean a specific group ("The engineers") or the entire profession ("Engineers").
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