| Grammar Notes: 1. Guerra ou paz? - Guerra (noun, feminine) - "War". The word is in its base form. - ou (conjunction) - "Or". Used to connect alternatives. - paz (noun, feminine) - "Peace". The word is in its base form. This part is a question asking to choose between "war or peace?" 2. Depende de nós o que será escrito nos livros de história. - Depende (verb, 3rd person singular of "depender") - "It depends". The infinitive form is "depender". - de (preposition) - "of" or "on". Indicates the object or person something depends on. - nós (pronoun) - "Us". The subject or object pronoun for the first person plural. - o que (pronoun) - "What". Used to introduce a relative clause. - será (verb, 3rd person singular future of "ser") - "Will be". The infinitive form is "ser". - escrito (participle of "escrever") - "Written". The infinitive form is "escrever". This is a past participle used in passive voice constructions. - nos (preposition + article, contraction of "em" + "os") - "in the". Indicates location or position. - livros (noun, masculine plural) - "Books". The singular form is "livro". - de (preposition) - "of". Indicates possession or relation. - história (noun, feminine) - "History". The word is in its base form. The sentence translates to "It depends on us what will be written in the history books." Grammar Tip: In Portuguese, the future tense can be used not only to indicate future actions but also to express uncertainty or conjecture about the present, much like in English. However, in this sentence, the future tense ("será") is used in a more straightforward way to refer to future events, i.e., what will be recorded in history books. The structure "Depende de nós" (It depends on us) emphasizes the role of agency or responsibility in determining outcomes, showcasing how prepositional phrases can be used to denote dependence or conditionality in Portuguese. |
