Breakdown of Aquela invenção é usada por muitas pessoas.
ser
to be
muito
much / very
aquele
that over there (aquele, aquela, aqueles, aquelas)
usar
to use / to wear
a pessoa
the person
por
through / by / for / because of
a invenção
the invention
Questions & Answers about Aquela invenção é usada por muitas pessoas.
Why is it usada and not usado?
In the passive voice, the past participle (usada) acts like an adjective. It has to agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence. Since invenção is a feminine singular noun, the participle becomes usada.
Could I use está instead of é in this sentence?
No, you need é (from the verb ser) here. To form the analytic passive voice (which describes an action being done to the subject), you always use ser + the past participle, never estar.
Why is the word por used here for 'by'?
In passive sentences, por is the standard preposition used to introduce the agent — the person or thing actually doing the action. Here, it tells us who uses the invention (muitas pessoas).
What is the difference between aquela and essa?
Aquela means 'that (over there)', pointing to something physically or conceptually far from both you and the person you are talking to. Essa would mean 'that' but refers to something closer to the person you are talking to.
Is there a rule to remember the gender of words like invenção?
Yes! Almost all Portuguese nouns that end in -ção (equivalent to '-tion' in English) are feminine. That is why it pairs with the feminine demonstrative aquela.
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