Breakdown of Escorrego na lama, embora tenha botas.
ter
to have
em
in / on / at
a bota
the boot
embora
even though
escorregar
to slip
a lama
the mud
Questions & Answers about Escorrego na lama, embora tenha botas.
Why use tenha (subjunctive) instead of tenho (indicative)?
The word embora (meaning "although" or "even though") is a concessive conjunction. In Portuguese, embora always forces the following verb into the subjunctive mood. That is why we must use the present subjunctive tenha instead of the present indicative tenho.
I thought the subjunctive was for doubt. Why use it if I know for a fact that I have boots?
While the subjunctive usually expresses doubt, emotion, or uncertainty, certain trigger words require it no matter what. The word embora is one of those strong triggers. It always takes the subjunctive, regardless of how certain you are about the fact you are stating.
I've heard embora used when people are leaving. Is it the same word here?
It is the exact same word, but with a completely different function. When paired with the verb ir (to go), as in the phrase ir embora, it means "to leave" or "to go away". However, when used by itself to connect two parts of a sentence, as it is here, embora is a conjunction meaning "although" or "even though".
Why does the translation say "in the" when the Portuguese sentence just says na lama?
This is a quick refresher on contractions! Na is the mandatory combination of the preposition em (in/on) and the feminine definite article a (the). Because lama (mud) is a feminine noun, you must combine em + a to get na, meaning "in the".
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