In the sentence, “Eu sou o chefe, portanto sou eu que mando” why are the second instances of “eu” and “sou” reversed? I’ve seen this sometimes, but don’t know why this occurs.
The second clause, sou eu que manda, expresses the idea “it is I who gives the orders”. You could also say eu sou ele que manda which has more or less the same meaning. This last one might be translated as “I am the one who gives the orders”.
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@msimon60, this reversal is a way to highlight the subject of the second clause, for extra emphasis. Although common, it’s not mandatory; the second clause can be worded in different ways, with or without this changed order:
- …sou eu que mando / sou eu quem manda
- …eu é que mando
- …mando eu
- …eu sou quem manda (note: eu sou ele que manda is not a suitable alternative)
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Thank you, as always, Joseph.
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