Breakdown of O facto de eles transmitirem a notícia sobre a censura é ótimo.
ser
to be
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
eles
they (m)
a notícia
the news
sobre
about, on (a topic)
ótimo
great, excellent
o facto
the fact
a censura
the censorship
transmitir
to broadcast / to convey
Questions & Answers about O facto de eles transmitirem a notícia sobre a censura é ótimo.
Why do we use the personal infinitive transmitirem here instead of the subjunctive?
The phrase o facto de ends with the preposition de, which naturally triggers the infinitive in Portuguese rather than a conjugated verb tense like the subjunctive. Because we need to specify who is broadcasting, we conjugate the infinitive for the third-person plural, giving us the personal infinitive transmitirem.
Could I literally translate the fact that as o facto que and use the subjunctive instead?
In European Portuguese, o facto de followed by the personal infinitive is the most natural and standard way to express this idea. You might occasionally see o facto de que followed by the subjunctive, but you should completely avoid o facto que, which is a direct translation from English and is considered incorrect grammar in Portuguese.
Why is a notícia singular when the English translation says the news?
Is it strictly necessary to include the pronoun eles here?
No, it is not strictly necessary because the -em ending on transmitirem already indicates a third-person plural subject. However, including eles is very common in this structure to provide clarity and ensure the listener knows exactly who is acting, especially since this verb form could also apply to vocês or elas.
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