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Okay. My translation was 'The mirror continues here' by which I imagined that a mirror (say a stripe of mirror) on a wall continues here (on this adjacent wall or door or whatever). It was accepted by the system, however, it is a completely different meaning. Can the original portuguese sentence mean also this, or only the meaning you have discussed: 'remains' 'still is' etc?
so "remains" and "stays" should both be accepted as they mean the same thing, yet somehow "stays" gets rejected...
They don't mean the same in "all" cases.
And in this case, where the sentence means "is still here", it's not possible to use "stays", as it sounds like future or intention.
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Then, is continuar simply an alternative to ficar for inanimate objects? Or does ficar mean "this is where it is" and continuar mean "this is where it will stay"?
"O espelho fica aqui":
- The mirror stays here (it's not going anywhere)
- The mirror is usually kept here (this is its resting place)
"O espelho continua aqui":
- The mirror is still here
- The mirror continues here
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Strictly speaking, that is grammatically correct English, but it sounds unnatural.
Is continuar really used in place of to stay or remain, or is there a better verb for such a sentence?
"O espelho continua aqui" is a good translation for "the mirror is still here" (word for word = the mirror is still here),
So continuar means "to be still somewhere" ? Could you give one or two more examples in portugues, please ?
A janela vive batendo = the window keeps slamming. A janela ainda está batendo = the window is still slamming = a janela continua batendo.
be careful with the english. In the infinitive, "to be still somewhere" means "to be somewhere, while holding still / not moving" (like an animal hiding in a hiding spot). To still be somewhere / to be somewhere, still" is the meaning you want. In contrast, "i am still somewhere" or "he is still somewhere" means what you want it to mean.
It's an awkward situation caused by "being still" meaning "to be in a position of suspended movement" (something that normally moves, being intentionally, temporarily motionless). Similarly, the imperative, "be still," means, "stop moving!"
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"Keeps" is a transitive verb that requires an object.* You could, for example, say that a person keeps a mirror on his desk.
*With one exception: When referring to something perishable, you can use "keeps" to indicate that the perishable item does not go bad. Examples: Vegetables usually keep better in the fridge. Milk still keeps for several days after its sell-by date.
