Maybe you noticed é que after Portuguese Question Words in Portuguese. Although it’s optional, as it doesn’t alter the meaning, it’s very commonly used. Moreover, it’s advisable that you do. It will be said to you and due to the nature of connected speech, you may not understand what’s being said. But worry not, I shall walk you through these pronunciations and demonstrate how they are said. If you’re looking for other uses of é que, that will be covered in another lesson.
What does “é que” mean?
é que means “is it that”. It’s used to emphasise the question. When present, it always appears after the question word. For instance:
I know this sounds unnecessary and redundant in English, but it’s absolutely normal in Portuguese.
Is “é que” needed?
Strictly? No, it isn’t. You can ask the question without it. BUT, I advise you to include it for several reasons. Reason one is the question will sound less natural if you leave in the personal pronoun. Many English native speakers struggle with the null-subject aspect of Portuguese and find it difficult to leave out the personal pronoun.
So, in order to leave the pronoun in and NOT use “é que” AND have a correct sentence, you need to put the pronoun at the end. This is what I like to call “Yoda speak”. (yes, Yoda from Starwars 😅). For example, take the question: “When do you arrive?”
With ‘é que’ and with the pronoun
Without ‘é que’ and with the pronoun (Yoda speak)
How we say it
or
Over the years, I’ve crossed paths with learners who have taken issue with the expression ‘é que’ and dislike using it with a passion. It’s okay if you dislike it. I understand. English also has redundant everyday language (chasing after, added bonus, joint cooperation, early beginning, first dibs, etc etc etc)
That said, to make life easier and not use ‘é que‘, leave the pronoun out.
What it sounds like
This is the other tricky part when you are first learning this: the connected speech pronunciation in everyday conversation. Below are the most common combinations that you’re likely to hear. First, I pronounce them slowly and then what they sound like in informal or fast speech.