Phrase · 📨 Reporting what someone said
Ele mandou dizer que não vai poder vir.
He sent word that he won’t be able to come.
B1passing on a messageAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
elepronounhe3rd sing. · subjectmandou1verbsent (word)mandar · past · 3rd sing.dizer1verbto sayinfinitivequeconjunctionthatnãoadverbnotvai2verbis going toir · present · 3rd sing.poderverbbe ableinfinitivevirverbto comeinfinitive.
- ele → mandou: subject
- mandou → dizer: periphrasis
- dizer → que: governs
- vai → poder: periphrasis
- poder → vir: governs
Word for word: “He sent to-say that not goes to-be-able to-come.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1mandar dizer = to send word, to pass a message on through someone. Causatives: deixar, mandar, fazer + infinitive →
- 2vai poder: the event is still ahead, so the tense doesn’t shift after mandou dizer. Reported speech I: disse que, perguntou se →
Variations
- Ele pediu pra avisar que não vai poder vir.
- Ele avisou que não vai dar pra vir.
- Ele mandou avisar que não vem.