Breakdown of De facto, avalia-se a durabilidade através de vários parâmetros.
o
him/it (m)
se
one (impersonal)
através de
through
avaliar
to evaluate
vários
several, various
de facto
in fact (actually)
a durabilidade
the durability
o parâmetro
the parameter
Questions & Answers about De facto, avalia-se a durabilidade através de vários parâmetros.
What exactly is the role of de facto here, and can I swap it with the other connectors from this lesson?
Why is the pronoun attached to the end of the verb (avalia-se) instead of coming before it (se avalia)? Doesn't an adverbial phrase at the start usually pull the pronoun to the front?
While certain adverbs do pull the pronoun to the front (proclisis), the comma after De facto is the deciding factor here. The comma creates a pause, effectively starting a new grammatical boundary. In European Portuguese, you cannot start a clause with an unstressed pronoun like se, so it must attach to the end of the verb instead (avalia-se).
Is avalia-se acting as an impersonal "one evaluates" or a passive voice "is evaluated" in this sentence?
Grammatically, it is the passive se. You can tell because the verb is directly tied to a specific noun, a durabilidade, which acts as its subject. If we were talking about a plural subject, the verb would have to change to match it (e.g., avaliam-se os materiais). However, thinking of it as an impersonal "one evaluates durability" or "people evaluate durability" is also a perfectly natural way to interpret the meaning.
Could I use por instead of através de to translate "through" in this sentence?
Através de is much better here because it specifically means "by means of" or "using" an abstract method. While the preposition por often translates to "through" in physical movements (like walking through a door: passar pela porta), através de is the standard choice for expressing the figurative tools, methods, or parameters used to accomplish something.
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