Breakdown of O tratamento é longo, mas o joelho volta a estar bem.
ser
to be
mas
but
estar
to be (temporary / location)
bem
well / fine
Questions & Answers about O tratamento é longo, mas o joelho volta a estar bem.
Why does the Portuguese sentence use volta a to mean "again"?
In Portuguese, you often express doing something "again" by using the verb voltar (to return) + the preposition a + an infinitive verb. So, volta a estar literally translates to "returns to being," which we naturally say in English as "is [fine] again."
Does the verb voltar always mean "again"?
No, on its own, voltar usually means "to return" or "to go back" (like returning to a physical place). It only takes on the meaning of doing something "again" when it is specifically combined with the preposition a and another verb in its infinitive form, like estar in this sentence.
Why do we use é for the treatment, but estar for the knee?
Why is the word bem used here instead of bom for "fine" or "good"?