Learn Portuguese (Portugal): De acordo com o relato, a nave seria enorme. - According to the report, the spaceship was allegedly huge.

De acordo com o relato, a nave seria enorme.

According to the report, the spaceship was allegedly huge.

Breakdown of De acordo com o relato, a nave seria enorme.

the report (narrative, account)

Questions & Answers about De acordo com o relato, a nave seria enorme.

Why is the conditional seria used here instead of the imperfect era?

This is the evidential conditional, often called the condicional de rumor. Instead of stating a fact, it shows that the speaker is repeating information they heard or read elsewhere without confirming its truth. If they used era, they would be stating it as an absolute fact that the ship was huge.

There is no word for "allegedly" in the Portuguese sentence. How does that meaning get translated?

The "allegedly" meaning is built directly into the verb seria. In journalistic or formal Portuguese, using the conditional tense in this way is the standard method to express "supposedly," "allegedly," or "reportedly" without needing to add an extra adverb.

What is the difference between a relato and a relatório?

Relato is usually a spoken or written account, story, or description given by a person (such as an eyewitness account of a spaceship). A relatório is a formal, structured document, like a financial report, school report, or official police report.

Could I use segundo instead of de acordo com to mean "according to"?

Yes, absolutely! Segundo o relato means the exact same thing as De acordo com o relato. Both are very common and interchangeable ways to say "according to" in Portuguese.