O maestro usa a batuta para começarmos a tocar.
The conductor uses the baton for us to start playing.
Breakdown of O maestro usa a batuta para começarmos a tocar.
a
to / at (direction)
começar
to begin
para
to / for
usar
to use / to wear
o
him/it (m)
o maestro
the conductor (orchestra)
a batuta
the baton
tocar
to play (an instrument)
Questions & Answers about O maestro usa a batuta para começarmos a tocar.
Why is it começarmos instead of just começar?
Because the person doing the starting is different from the person using the baton! The conductor (o maestro) uses the baton in order for us to start. When you have a preposition like para and the subject changes, Portuguese uses the Personal Infinitive to show who is doing the next action. We add the 'we' ending -rmos to the basic infinitive começar to make começarmos (for us to start).
Where is the word for 'us' or 'we' in this sentence?
It is built right into the verb! The -rmos ending on começarmos is exclusively the 'we' (nós) ending for the personal infinitive. Because this ending makes it perfectly clear who is starting to play, we don't need to actually include the pronoun nós in the sentence.
Why is there an a between começarmos and tocar?
In Portuguese, many verbs require a specific preposition to connect them to a following infinitive verb. The verb começar (to start) always needs the preposition a before the next action. That is why 'to start playing' translates to começar a tocar.
Why use tocar for 'playing'? Couldn't we use jogar?
It depends on what you are playing! Jogar is used for playing sports and games. Tocar, which also means 'to touch', is used for playing musical instruments or making music. Since this sentence involves a conductor (o maestro) and a baton (a batuta), they are definitely playing music!
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