Tropeça

Tropeça is a Portuguese verb form meaning “he/she trips” or “you trip” (formal). It comes from the infinitive tropeçar, which denotes the act of stumbling, tripping, or faltering. The form tropeça is used with terceira pessoa do singular (ele/ela/você) in both European and Brazilian Portuguese.

In literal use, tropeçar describes physical missteps. Examples include “Ele tropeçou na pedra” (He tripped on the stone) and “Ela tropeçou ao subir as escadas.” In a figurative sense, tropeçar is used to indicate difficulties or setbacks, as in “o projeto tropeça por falta de recursos” (the project stalls due to lack of resources) or “tropeçar de novo” (to stumble again) concerning plans or efforts. The prepositions tropecar with ou tropeçar em algo are common when indicating the object of the stumble.

Etymology and related forms: tropeçar is derived from tropeço, the noun meaning “a stumble” or “setback.” The verb has cognates in other Romance languages, notably Spanish tropezar, and shares a common Latin-root lineage tied to the idea of stumbling. Formally, tropeça is also the conjunction of sujeito he/she in the present tense of tropeçar, and, in Brazilian usage, can correspond to the usted/ele/ela form as well.

See also: tropezar (Spanish cognate), tropeço (noun).

Overall, tropeça functions as a common, versatile term in Portuguese for both literal tripping and figurative difficulties, widely understood across Portuguese-speaking regions.