Breakdown of O ombro dói muito, por isso não volto a nadar.
não
not / no
muito
much / very
a
to / at (direction)
voltar
to return
nadar
to swim
doer
to hurt
por isso
therefore / so (for that reason)
o ombro
the shoulder
Questions & Answers about O ombro dói muito, por isso não volto a nadar.
Why does the Portuguese sentence use "O ombro" instead of "O meu ombro" for "My shoulder"?
In Portuguese, when referring to your own body parts, it is most common to just use the definite article (o or a) instead of a possessive pronoun like meu or minha. The context makes it perfectly clear whose shoulder is hurting!
Is "dói" a noun or a verb here?
How does "não volto a nadar" translate to "I will not swim again"?
This uses the structure voltar a followed by an infinitive verb (in this case, nadar). While voltar literally means "to return", using voltar a + [verb] is the standard Portuguese way to say you are doing an action again. Making it negative (não volto a) means you will not do it again.
Why is "volto" in the present tense if the English translation says "I will not"?
In Portuguese, the present tense is frequently used to talk about the near future or a firm intention. Saying não volto (present tense) sounds like a strong, immediate decision, which perfectly matches "I will not" in this conversational context.
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