Topic Change Markers (Falando Nisso, Por Sinal) | Portuguese (Brazil) Grammar

Conversation is not a straight line. We change subjects, jump on something a speaker just mentioned, drop a "by the way," wander off, and then steer back. Brazilian Portuguese has a precise toolkit for managing these moves, and using the right marker signals to your listener exactly what kind of topic shift is happening — an abrupt change, a related tangent, or a return after a digression. This page catalogs the textual connectors; for the mechanics of holding and yielding the floor, see Turn-Taking.

Abrupt change: mudando de assunto

When you want to drop the current topic entirely and start a new, unrelated one, the explicit marker is mudando de assunto ("changing the subject"). It is honest and slightly self-aware — it flags that you know you're switching gears.

Mudando de assunto, você já decidiu pra onde vai viajar nas férias?

Changing the subject, have you decided where you're going on vacation?

Mas, mudando completamente de assunto, como tá indo o seu novo emprego?

But, completely changing the subject, how's your new job going?

A softer, more conversational opener for a new topic is simply olha ("look / listen"), which grabs attention before launching something:

Olha, eu queria te falar uma coisa sobre o fim de semana.

Listen, I wanted to tell you something about the weekend.

When the new topic is triggered by something just said — "speaking of which..." — Brazilian Portuguese uses:

falando nisso — "speaking of that / speaking of which" (refers back to something already mentioned)
falando em [X] / por falar em [X] — "speaking of [X]" (names the trigger explicitly)
a propósito — "by the way" (introduces something tangentially relevant)

Falando nisso, você viu que o restaurante que a gente gosta reabriu?

Speaking of which, did you see that the restaurant we like reopened?

Por falar em trabalho, o chefe pediu pra você ligar pra ele.

Speaking of work, the boss asked you to call him.

A propósito, não esquece de trazer o carregador amanhã.

By the way, don't forget to bring the charger tomorrow.

Falando nisso uses the contraction em + isso = nisso ("in/of that"). If you name the topic, the preposition is em: falando em comida, por falar em política.

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Falando nisso only works when the new topic genuinely connects to what was just said — it claims a link. If the topics are unrelated, use mudando de assunto. Misusing falando nisso for a total non-sequitur sounds odd, as if you saw a connection the listener can't.

The versatile aliás

Aliás deserves its own section because it does three distinct jobs, and learners often know only one:

"By the way / incidentally" — introduces an afterthought, like a propósito.
"In fact / actually / what's more" — adds an intensifying or correcting detail that goes beyond what you just said.
"Or rather" — self-correction, fixing what you just said.

O filme é ótimo. Aliás, é o melhor que eu vi esse ano.

The film is great. In fact, it's the best I've seen this year.

A gente se encontra na terça. Aliás, melhor na quarta.

We'll meet on Tuesday. Or rather, better on Wednesday.

Aliás, você sabe que horas começa o evento?

By the way, do you know what time the event starts?

The "in fact / what's more" sense is the most characteristic and the one English speakers underuse. It signals that you're escalating the point, not merely changing it.

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Don't confuse aliás ("by the way / in fact") with a propósito (only "by the way") or with apropriado ("appropriate"). And note the accent: aliás carries an acute accent on the final a. Without it the word doesn't exist.

Framing a topic: quanto a / em relação a / no que diz respeito a

To introduce a specific sub-topic — "as for X / regarding X" — Brazilian Portuguese front-loads a prepositional frame:

quanto a — "as for / as to" (neutral)
em relação a — "regarding / in relation to" (neutral–formal)
no que diz respeito a — "with regard to / as far as X is concerned" (formal)

Quanto ao pagamento, podemos resolver na próxima semana.

As for the payment, we can sort it out next week.

Em relação ao prazo, acho que dá pra adiantar uns dias.

Regarding the deadline, I think we can move it up a few days.

No que diz respeito à segurança, a empresa segue todas as normas.

With regard to safety, the company follows all the regulations.

Watch the contractions: quanto a + o = quanto ao; em relação a + a = em relação à (with the crase accent on à). These frames are especially useful in writing and presentations to organize a discussion point by point.

Steering back: voltando ao assunto

After a digression, you return to the main thread with voltando ao assunto ("getting back to the subject") or the fuller voltando ao que a gente estava falando ("getting back to what we were talking about").

Mas voltando ao assunto, o que você decidiu sobre a viagem?

But getting back to the subject, what did you decide about the trip?

Enfim, voltando ao que a gente estava falando, precisamos do orçamento até sexta.

Anyway, getting back to what we were saying, we need the budget by Friday.

Enfim ("anyway / in short") often precedes the return, wrapping up the digression before steering back.

Comparison with English

English speakers tend to over-rely on "by the way" for every topic move. Portuguese is more differentiated:

English "by the way" → a propósito (tangent) or aliás (tangent or escalation).
English "speaking of which" → falando nisso (refers back) / por falar em X (names trigger).
English "as for / regarding" → quanto a / em relação a.
English "anyway, getting back to..." → enfim, voltando ao assunto.

The biggest gap is aliás. English has no single word that covers both "by the way" and "in fact / what's more"; Brazilians use aliás constantly for that escalating "what's more" sense, and mastering it makes your speech sound notably more native.

Common Mistakes

❌ Falando em isso, você viu o jogo ontem?

Incorrect — 'em + isso' must contract to 'nisso'.

✅ Falando nisso, você viu o jogo ontem?

Speaking of which, did you see the game yesterday?

❌ Quanto a o prazo, podemos negociar.

Incorrect — 'a + o' contracts to 'ao'.

✅ Quanto ao prazo, podemos negociar.

As for the deadline, we can negotiate.

❌ Em relação a a segurança, seguimos as normas.

Incorrect — 'a + a' becomes 'à' (crase).

✅ Em relação à segurança, seguimos as normas.

Regarding safety, we follow the regulations.

❌ Alias, esse é o melhor restaurante da cidade.

Incorrect — missing the acute accent on 'aliás'.

✅ Aliás, esse é o melhor restaurante da cidade.

In fact, this is the best restaurant in town.

❌ Mudando de assunto, falando nisso, você viu o jogo?

Contradictory — 'mudando de assunto' signals an unrelated switch, 'falando nisso' a related one; don't stack them.

✅ Falando nisso, você viu o jogo?

Speaking of which, did you see the game?

Key Takeaways

Abrupt switch: mudando de assunto; attention-grabber: olha.
Triggered tangent: falando nisso / por falar em X / a propósito.
aliás = "by the way," and "in fact / what's more," and "or rather" — its escalating sense is the one to master.
Frame a sub-topic: quanto a / em relação a / no que diz respeito a (mind the contractions and crase).
Return after a digression: (enfim,) voltando ao assunto.

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