Note the following sentences:
We é whatwe had real fun.
we don't know when what it will come.
What what is happening?
"I will-me away to Pasargada.”
Can we remove all the expressions highlighted in the sentences above without grammatical damage? If you answered yes, that's correct. Look:
We had real fun.
We don't know when it will arrive.
What's happening?
I'm leaving for Pasargada.
Note that the use of those expressions, which appeared in the sentences at the beginning of the text, serves to emphasize an idea. This type of expression is called, in Portuguese, as expletive particle or highlight particle, expletive expression or highlight expression. Let's look at some cases of the use of this syntactic phenomenon.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
What: as an expletive particle, it is common after conjunctions, adverbs and adverbial expressions.
Examples:
Since early what waiting for news.
While what fans fought, there was no police in the stadium.
there was a lot what I didn't take a vacation.
if: it will be an expletive particle when it can be removed from the sentence without grammatical damage and when it is accompanied by intransitive verb with clear or hidden subject.
Examples:
Was-if though for good.
They passed-if the months and the success increased.
Me: expletive particle
Example:
He requested-me my attention
Me me I'm jealous of you.
By Mariana Rigonatto
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
RIGONATTO, Mariana. "Expletive or enhancement particles"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/particulas-expletivas-ou-realce.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.