de repente
See also: derepente
Portuguese
Alternative forms
- derrepente (misspelling, Brazil)
Etymology
From de (“of”) + repente (“a sudden act or occurrence”).
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /d͡ʒi ʁeˈpẽ.t͡ʃi/ [d͡ʒi heˈpẽ.t͡ʃi], /de.ʁeˈpẽ.t͡ʃi/ [de.heˈpẽ.t͡ʃi]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /d͡ʒi ʁeˈpẽ.t͡ʃi/ [d͡ʒi χeˈpẽ.t͡ʃi], /de.ʁeˈpẽ.t͡ʃi/ [de.χeˈpẽ.t͡ʃi]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /de ʁeˈpẽ.te/ [de heˈpẽ.te], /de.ʁeˈpẽ.te/ [de.heˈpẽ.te]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /dɨ ʁɨˈpẽ.tɨ/
Usage notes
In Brazil, even accents that usually reduce the preposition de to /d͡ʒi/ may maintain the word unreduced (i.e., as /de/) in this expression, hence the potential misspelling.
Adverb
de repente (comparable, comparative mais de repente, superlative o mais de repente)
- suddenly; unexpectedly
- Synonyms: do nada, repentinamente, sem mais nem menos, subitamente
- 1934, Fernando Pessoa, “Ascensão de Vasco da Gama”, in Mensagem:
- Os Deuses da tormenta e os gigantes da terra / Suspendem de repente o ódio da sua guerra
- The Gods of the storm and the giants of the Earth / Suspend suddenly the hate of their war
Spanish
Etymology
From Latin dērepente (“suddenly”). Equivalent to de (“of”) + repente (“a sudden act or occurrence”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /de reˈpente/ [d̪e reˈpẽn̪.t̪e]
- Syllabification: de re‧pen‧te
Adverb
- suddenly, abruptly, (instantly): in a heartbeat
- Synonyms: súbitamente, de golpe
Related terms
Further reading
- “de repente”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024