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Estou ciente de que explorar este hospital é ilegal.

Estou ciente de que explorar este hospital é ilegal.
I am aware that exploring this hospital is illegal.
From Lesson 477:Prepositions before 'que' (de que, em que)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Estou ciente de que explorar este hospital é ilegal.

Why do we need de right before que?
In English, we say 'aware of' but drop the preposition before 'that' (saying 'aware that'). In Portuguese, the adjective ciente requires the preposition de, and you must keep this preposition even when introducing a clause with que.
Why is the verb é in the indicative rather than the subjunctive?
Subordinate clauses introduced by que only take the subjunctive if the main clause expresses doubt, emotion, or a command. Because estar ciente de que expresses a state of knowledge or certainty (similar to saber que), the following verb stays in the indicative.
Why does this sentence use the infinitive explorar instead of a gerund like explorando for 'exploring'?
When an English '-ing' verb acts as a noun (such as the subject of a sentence), Portuguese uses the impersonal infinitive. Here, the entire phrase explorar este hospital acts as the subject of the verb é.
Could I drop the de in casual speech and just say Estou ciente que...?
You might occasionally hear native speakers drop the de in fast, informal speech, but it is considered grammatically incorrect. To speak correctly, you should always retain the governed preposition before que.

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