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
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?