Phrase · 🎬 Storytelling with markers
Eu não sabia se ria ou se chorava.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
C1organizing discourseinformalAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
EupronounI1st sing. · subjectnãoadverbnotsabia1verbknewsaber · imperfect · 1st sing.se2conjunctionwhetherria1verbto laughrir · imperfect · 1st sing.ouconjunctionorse2conjunctionwhetherchorava1verbto crychorar · imperfect · 1st sing..
- sabia → se: whether-clause
- Eu → sabia: subject–verb
- ria → chorava: alternatives
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1Portuguese repeats the imperfect (se ria ou se chorava) where English uses infinitives.
- 2Both se are the conjunction "whether", not pronouns. The many 'se's →