Phrase · 📜 Proverbs & sayings
De pequenino é que se torce o pepino.
Habits are formed young.
C2proverb: early educationinformallearned as a wholeAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Deprepositionof, frompequenino1adjectivetinypequeno · masc. · sing.é2verbit isser · present · 3rd sing.que2conjunctionthatsepronoun(one)torceverbbendstorcer · present · 3rd sing.odeterminerthemasc. · sing. · definitepepinonouncucumbermasc. · sing..
- é → que: cleft: é que
- se → torce: passive se: se torce o pepino
Word for word: “It's when it's tiny that you bend the cucumber.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1Diminutive -inho with an extra syllable: pequeno → pequenino. Advanced word formation, neologisms & slang morphology →
- 2«é que» cleft for emphasis on «de pequenino». Clefts & focus (é que, foi … que, o que … é) →