Phrase · 🖋️ Rhetoric & literary style
Diga-se de passagem, o autor nunca esteve no sertão.
Incidentally, the author had never been to the sertão.
C2asideformalAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Diga1verblet it be saiddizer · subjunctive · present · 3rd sing.-se1pronoun(it)sedeprepositionof, frompassagemnounpassingfem. · sing.,odeterminerthemasc. · sing. · definiteautornounauthormasc. · sing.nuncaadverbneveresteve2verbwasestar · past · 3rd sing.noprepositionin theem + o · masc. · sing. · definitesertãonounsertão (backlands)masc. · sing..
- Diga → -se: sentence-initial enclisis
- nunca → esteve: nunca + perfeito
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1Formula «diga-se de passagem» = incidentally. The many 'se's →
- 2«estar em» + place in the perfeito = to have been to.