Breakdown of De que falas?
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
falar
to speak
que
what (before a noun)
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese (Portugal) grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about De que falas?
Why does the sentence start with De? In English, we put 'about' at the end.
In Portuguese, you cannot end a sentence with a preposition like de (of/about). If a verb requires a preposition, it must come before the question word. Since the phrase is falar de (to talk about), the de moves to the beginning, making it literally 'About what you talk?'.
Does falas mean 'you talk' or 'you are talking'?
It can mean both! In Portuguese, the simple present tense (falas) is frequently used to describe what is happening right now. While you could use the continuous form (estás a falar), the simple present is perfectly natural and common for 'you are talking' in this context.
Why is it que instead of o que for 'what'?
Could I use sobre instead of de to say 'about'?