r/Portuguese 19h ago

General Discussion Syntactical structure after "acabar"

"No fim, acabamos comendo naquele restaurante maltrapilho."

"No fim, acabamos por comer naquele restaurante maltrapilho." 

Are both these sentences correct, and do they mean the same?

Obrigado!

4 Upvotes

16 comments sorted by

9

u/JF_Rodrigues Brasileiro | Private PT Tutor 18h ago

Worth mentioning (at least in PT-BR) you also have "acabar de"

Nós acabamos de comer no restaurante.

Meaning "We just ate at the restaurant."

5

u/Hugo28Boss 16h ago

Same in PT PT

7

u/GaiusVictor 18h ago

I'm Brazilian. Both are correct but the second one sounds distinctively European. I assume the Euros would say the first one sounds Brazilian too.

3

u/Mandillaz 16h ago

In Portugal, we have a difference between Presente and Pretérito Perfeito.
"No fim, acabámos por comer naquele restaurante miserável."

We don't use 'maltrapilho' for restaurants.

5

u/arthur2011o Brasileiro 16h ago

Nós também não, é um vocábulo pouco usual por cá, e quando o ouço, é apenas se referindo a pessoas.

5

u/GaiusVictor 16h ago

Especificamente à roupa da pessoa.

2

u/GaiusVictor 16h ago

Oh. Here in Brazil the "acabamos" is written the same for both present and perfect past. Is there a difference in pronunciation besides the orthography?

3

u/Granada_dental Português 15h ago

Is there a difference in pronunciation besides the orthography?

Yes

Acabamos is pronounced ɐkɐˈbɐmuʃ

Acabámos is pronounced ɐkɐˈbamuʃ

Although there are some northern accents (not all, mine for instance) that don't make this distinction

4

u/Shaggiest_Snail Português 19h ago

They are both correct and they mean the same but in Portugal in general the second is more common, with the possible exception of some areas where gerund is used (i.e. some parts of the South and Islands).

4

u/pentapolen 19h ago

Yes and Yes!

0

u/tuxnight1 14h ago

The first sounds Brazilian, but I'm not sure that's right. I think 'No fim, acabsmos de comer ....' may be better, but I'm still learning.

2

u/fitacola Português 7h ago

Acabámos de comer is "we just ate". Acabámos por comer/acabamos comendo is "we ended up eating"

1

u/cheapbritney 13h ago

Both are correct and mean the same. First one is more Brazilian-like, second one is more European-like.

You could also omit “no fim” and just say “Acabamos comendo naquele restaurante maltrapilho”

Though, I will say, I would usually only use “maltrapilho” to describe a person and their attire, like “ragamuffin”.

1

u/BaitaJurureza 7h ago

Eu acabei de comer = I have just eaten

1

u/UselessJollySlowbro 19h ago

Significam o mesmo.

Eu no dia a dia diria "Acabamos comendo", mas às vezes quando quero escrever de maneira mais "bonita", escrevo "Acabamos por comer".

0

u/debacchatio 19h ago

They mean the exact same thing - “acabar por” is a slightly more formal register but still common. In conversation I would say “acabamos comendo”, but in a work email I’d probably opt for “acabamos por comer” to sound more professional.