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Understanding the Meaning of Life

The following quote is by the Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore:

The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, começou, pelo menos, a compreender o sentido da vida.has at least started to understand the meaning of life.

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The Plus version of this story

Aquele que* planta* árvores, sabendo* que nunca se sentará* à sua sombra*, começou, pelo menos, a compreender o sentido* da vida.

The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.

🔎 Words in this story

✴️ Aquele que (the one who)

In Portuguese, we use the structure “aquele que” and “o que” meaning “the one who.” For example: “O que chegar primeiro, ganha” (The one who arrives first, wins).

✴️ Planta (plants)

This is the verb “plantar” (to plant) conjugated in the present simple, for the third person singular (ele/ela/você). The same word is also a noun that represents three different nouns in English:

  • “Plant,” as in “planta tropical” (tropical plant)
  • “Sole,” as in “planta do pé” (sole of the foot)
  • “Plan,” as in “planta da casa” (house plan)

There is a Plus version of this story

The same story, taken further, for DailyNata Plus members. This one works on relative pronouns.

  • The whole story in Portuguese, and its English
  • The words in it, explained, with examples

Written for level B1. Every story has its own, anywhere from A1 to B2.