Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O crocodilo é que é mais feroz do que as pessoas dizem. - It is the crocodile that is fiercer than people say.

O crocodilo é que é mais feroz do que as pessoas dizem.

It is the crocodile that is fiercer than people say.

Breakdown of O crocodilo é que é mais feroz do que as pessoas dizem.

Questions & Answers about O crocodilo é que é mais feroz do que as pessoas dizem.

Why are there two és right next to each other in é que é?

The é que is an invariable emphatic particle in Portuguese, used here to highlight that the crocodile is the fiercely debated subject (translating roughly to "It is the crocodile that..."). The second é is the actual main verb of the sentence: it belongs to mais feroz (is fiercer).

Since we're comparing the crocodile to "what" people say, why don't we need to say do que o que as pessoas dizem?

When introducing a full clause (a phrase with a conjugated verb, like as pessoas dizem) in a comparative, you can link it directly with just do que. While you will frequently hear native speakers add o que ("what") in casual speech to form do que o que as pessoas dizem, sticking to just do que + the clause is grammatically correct and very standard.

Could I drop the do and just write que as pessoas dizem?

It's highly recommended to keep the do. In simple comparisons between two nouns (like "ele é mais alto que tu"), you can often drop the do and just use que. However, when a full dependent clause with a conjugated verb like dizem follows the comparison, the full do que is heavily preferred in European Portuguese.

If the subject was feminine, how would feroz change?