Breakdown of Não é possível tocarmos a sinfonia sem as flautas estarem prontas.
ser
to be
não
not / no
estar
to be (temporary / location)
pronto
ready
a
to / at (direction)
sem
without
possível
possible
tocar
to play (an instrument)
a sinfonia
the symphony
a flauta
the flute
Questions & Answers about Não é possível tocarmos a sinfonia sem as flautas estarem prontas.
Why is the verb estarem used after the preposition sem instead of just estar?
In Portuguese, when a verb follows a preposition (like sem) and has a specific subject, we use the Personal Infinitive to show who is doing the action. The subject here is as flautas (the flutes, or 'they'). To make the 'they' form of the personal infinitive, we add -em to the base verb estar, making it estarem.
I see another Personal Infinitive: tocarmos. Why is it used here?
We also use the Personal Infinitive after impersonal expressions like Não é possível (It is not possible) when we want to state exactly who the action applies to. By adding -mos to tocar, it means 'for us to play'. If you just said tocar, it would mean 'It is not possible to play' for anyone in general.
Why is the adjective prontas feminine and plural?
Adjectives must match the noun they describe. Here, prontas (ready) describes as flautas (the flutes). Since flauta is a feminine word and there is more than one, the adjective becomes prontas.
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