Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Neste litígio, trata-se de uma indemnização enorme. - In this dispute, it is a matter of a huge compensation.

Neste litígio, trata-se de uma indemnização enorme.

In this dispute, it is a matter of a huge compensation.

Breakdown of Neste litígio, trata-se de uma indemnização enorme.

a / an / some (all forms)

Questions & Answers about Neste litígio, trata-se de uma indemnização enorme.

If there were multiple compensations, would the verb become plural (tratam-se de)?

No. Because tratar-se de is an impersonal construction here, it is always used in the third-person singular. Even if it were 'huge compensations', it would remain trata-se de indemnizações enormes.

How is trata-se de different from just saying trata de?

The pronoun se makes the verb impersonal. While trata de means a specific person is dealing with something (for example, ele trata de means 'he deals with'), trata-se de has no specific subject. It simply translates to 'it is a matter of' or 'it is about'.

Could I just use é sobre instead of trata-se de?

Yes, é sobre (it is about) would be grammatically correct and means roughly the same thing. However, trata-se de elevates the sentence slightly, sounding more professional and precise, which fits perfectly with formal or legal vocabulary like litígio (dispute).

Is the 'm' in indemnização pronounced, or is it a silent consonant?

In European Portuguese, the 'm' is fully pronounced, creating a nasal sound right before the 'n'. This is a good detail to memorize because it differs from Brazilian Portuguese, where the word is spelled and pronounced without the 'm' (indenização).