Breakdown of Ele quer um trabalho que pague um ótimo salário, por isso precisa de um currículo ideal.
ele
he
um
a / an / some (all forms)
o trabalho
the work / the job
querer
to want
pagar
to pay
precisar de
to need
que
who / which / that (relative)
por isso
therefore / so (for that reason)
ótimo
great, excellent
ideal
ideal
o currículo
the resume
o salário
the salary
Questions & Answers about Ele quer um trabalho que pague um ótimo salário, por isso precisa de um currículo ideal.
Why is pague in the subjunctive here instead of the indicative paga?
We use the subjunctive in relative clauses (after que) when referring to something that is indefinite, uncertain, or might not exist. He is looking for a job that pays well, but he doesn't have a specific one in mind yet. If he already had a specific high-paying job, the sentence would use the indicative: Ele tem um trabalho que paga um ótimo salário.
Why is pague spelled with a 'u' instead of just 'page'?
Pague comes from the verb pagar. In Portuguese, the letter 'g' sounds soft before 'e' or 'i'. To keep the hard 'g' sound of pagar when forming the present subjunctive (which uses 'e' endings for '-ar' verbs), we must insert a 'u'. So, the base changes from pag- to pagu-.
Could I say salário ótimo instead of ótimo salário?
Yes, but placing it before the noun is very natural here. While most adjectives in Portuguese come after the noun to give objective facts, adjectives expressing subjective opinions or extreme qualities (like ótimo, bom, or mau) are often placed before the noun for emphasis.
Why do we say precisa de um currículo instead of just precisa um currículo?
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