Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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).

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

If the subject was feminine, how would feroz change?

Accepted Answer

It wouldn't change at all! As a quick refresher: adjectives ending in -z (like feroz, feliz, and capaz) are uniform. This means they use the exact same form for both masculine and feminine subjects. They only change if the subject is plural, taking an -es to become ferozes.

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

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