Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Estabelecemos o preço não só consoante o volume, mas também consoante a complexidade. - We establish the price not only depending on the volume, but also depending on the complexity.

Word

Estabelecemos o preço não só consoante o volume, mas também consoante a complexidade.

Meaning

We establish the price not only depending on the volume, but also depending on the complexity.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Portuguese (Portugal)

Lesson

Depending on (consoante)

Breakdown of Estabelecemos o preço não só consoante o volume, mas também consoante a complexidade.

Questions & Answers about Estabelecemos o preço não só consoante o volume, mas também consoante a complexidade.

Why doesn't consoante change to match the gender of o volume or a complexidade?

When used to mean 'depending on' or 'according to', consoante acts as an invariable word. This means it never changes its ending to match the gender or number of the noun that follows it.

Does consoante need a preposition after it, like 'depending on' does in English?

No, consoante connects directly to the noun's definite article. Unlike the alternative phrase dependendo de, which combines with the article (giving us dependendo do volume), consoante just takes the article itself, resulting in consoante o volume.

Is não só... mas também a fixed expression?

Yes, it is the standard Portuguese structure for 'not only... but also'. It links two parallel ideas to add emphasis. At this level, you can also seamlessly swap in não apenas... mas também for variety, which means exactly the same thing.

Could estabelecemos be referring to a past event in this sentence?

Grammatically, it could. The verb form estabelecemos is identical in both the present tense ('we establish') and the pretérito perfeito or simple past ('we established'). However, because the sentence describes a general business rule, native speakers will instinctively interpret it as a habitual present-tense action.