Relativamente à discussão

You’ll usually find this at the beginning of a sentence. It acts as a preamble. Grammatically, the key is the à. In Portuguese, the word relativamente always requires the preposition a. Since discussão is a feminine noun (a discussão), the two 'a's merge into à (that’s the 'crase' or back-tick accent). If you were talking about a masculine word, like projeto, it would become Relativamente ao projeto. You use it to introduce a comment, a question, or even a disagreement. It’s a very safe way to disagree without sounding aggressive. Instead of saying 'You're wrong about the discussion,' you say 'Relatively to the discussion, I have a different view.' It's the linguistic version of wearing a blazer over a t-shirt.

This phrase lives in the 'Formal' to 'Very Formal' neighborhood. You won't hear a teenager say this to their friends while playing League of Legends unless they're being incredibly sarcastic. It’s the language of the office, the university, the courtroom, and the evening news. If you use this while texting your mom about what's for dinner, she might ask if you've been hacked by a robot. However, in a LinkedIn comment or a professional email, it is gold. It shows you have a high level of command over the language. In Portugal, it's perhaps even more common than in Brazil, where they might prefer Quanto à discussão, but both will understand you perfectly. It’s basically the 'Business Casual' of Portuguese transitions.

You'll see this all over the place once you start looking. Check out a Portuguese news site like Público or a Brazilian one like Folha de S.Paulo. When a journalist interviews a politician, they’ll say, 'Relativamente à discussão sobre o novo imposto, qual é a sua posição?' In the world of Netflix subtitles, if a lawyer is speaking, this phrase will pop up constantly. Even on TikTok, if a creator is doing a 'storytime' about a workplace drama, they might use it mockingly to sound like their 'annoying boss.' It’s also very common in academic papers. If you’re writing a thesis in Portuguese, you’ll probably use this phrase (or its cousins) at least twenty times. It’s the glue that holds formal arguments together.

Use it when you want to sound like the most adult person in the room. It’s perfect for job interviews when the recruiter asks about your previous experience. You could say, 'Relativamente à discussão sobre as minhas competências...' It’s great for emails where you need to reference a previous thread. It’s also useful when you’re giving a presentation and someone asks a question that’s slightly off-topic. You can use it to pull them back to the main point. 'Relativamente à discussão principal, podemos focar no ponto três?' It’s a power move. It says 'I am in control of this conversation and I know exactly what we are talking about.'

Don't use it at a bar. Seriously. If you’re three beers in and you say to your friend, 'Relativamente à discussão sobre quem vai pagar a próxima rodada,' they will laugh at you. It’s too stiff for casual settings. Avoid it in WhatsApp groups with your close friends unless you’re making a joke about how formal you are. Also, don't use it if you haven't actually been having a discussion. If you just walk up to someone and say 'Relatively to the discussion...' and there was no discussion, you'll look like you're talking to a ghost. It requires a 'hook'—something previously mentioned that you are now relating to.

The most common crime is forgetting the 'crase' (the à). People often write Relativamente a discussão which is like wearing one sock. You need that accent! Another mistake is using the wrong preposition. Some learners try to say Relativamente com or Relativamente de. Nope. It’s always a. Just remember: Relativamente is 'attracted' to the letter A. Another pitfall is using it to mean 'relatively' in the sense of 'somewhat' (e.g., 'It's relatively cold'). In that case, you just use relativamente alone, not the whole phrase.

• ✗ Relativamente com a discussão → ✓ Relativamente à discussão
• ✗ Relativamente de discussão → ✓ Relativamente à discussão
• ✗ Relativamente a discussão → ✓ Relativamente à discussão

If you want to spice things up, you have options. No que diz respeito à discussão is even more formal—it’s like wearing a tuxedo. Quanto à discussão is slightly more common in Brazil and feels a bit more direct. Sobre a discussão is the casual cousin—it’s the jeans and t-shirt version. If you’re in a legal setting, you might hear No tocante à discussão. That one is very 'lawyer-y.' If you want to sound more like a scientist, you might use Em relação à discussão. All of these perform the same job: they point at a topic and say 'Look here!'

Is it okay for Brazilian Portuguese? Yes, but it sounds quite formal there. Can I use it for people? Yes, 'Relativamente ao João' (Regarding João). Is it okay for texting? Only if it's a work text or a formal request. Does it always need 'à'? Only if the next word is feminine and singular. If it's plural, it's 'Relativamente às'. If it's masculine, it's 'Relativamente ao'. Does it mean 'relatively speaking'? Not in this specific phrase; here it specifically means 'regarding.'