Locuções

Locuções are sequences of two or more words that function as a single unit in syntax and meaning. They form a lexicalized expression whose overall sense may not be predictable from its components, and they can be fixed or semi-fixed in use. In linguistic description, locuções are categorized by the syntactic role they assume in sentences.

Locuções nominais, adjetivas, adverbiais, prepositivas e conjuntivas form the main groups. Locuções prepositivas act as prepositions or prepositional expressions, linking elements within a sentence. Examples include em relação a, de acordo com e em função de. Locuções adverbiais modify verbs or clauses and express time, manner, place, or frequency, such as de vez em quando, às vezes, and de modo geral. Locuções conjuntivas link clauses and ideas, as in para que, a fim de, caso contrário. Locuções adjetivas function as adjectives, describing a noun with a fixed sense, for example à moda de, à semelhança de. Locuções nominais behave as nouns or noun modifiers, and examples include o dia a dia (daily life) and a hora de saída (the time to leave), where the unit acts as a single nominal meaning.

Some locuções are idiomatic and resist literal translation, while others are more compositional and can be paraphrased by substituting individual words. Their usage can vary across dialects and registers, from formal to colloquial speech. Understanding locuções helps clarify how languages encode complex relations and meanings without relying on single words alone.