diff --git a/lang/include/ivy/lang/operator.h b/lang/include/ivy/lang/operator.h
index 5ff7f07..0bccdb5 100644
--- a/lang/include/ivy/lang/operator.h
+++ b/lang/include/ivy/lang/operator.h
@@ -77,7 +77,10 @@ enum ivy_operator_id {
 	IVY_OP_UNDERSTANDS,
 	IVY_OP_SELF_ACCESS,
 	IVY_OP_PKG_ACCESS,
+
+	/* these are not real operators, and are just used internally by the parser. */
 	IVY_OP_MSG,
+	IVY_OP_LEFT_PAREN,
 };
 
 struct ivy_operator {
@@ -90,5 +93,6 @@ struct ivy_operator {
 };
 
 IVY_API const struct ivy_operator *ivy_operator_get(unsigned int token);
+IVY_API const char *ivy_operator_id_to_string(enum ivy_operator_id op);
 
 #endif
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lang/operator.c b/lang/operator.c
index 8ca81a6..881041a 100644
--- a/lang/operator.c
+++ b/lang/operator.c
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@
 
 /* clang-format off */
 static const struct ivy_operator operators[] = {
-	TOK_OP(MSG,			IDENT,				UNARY_MSG,	LEFT,	POSTFIX,	UNARY),
 	SYM_OP(ASSIGN,			EQUAL,				ASSIGN,		RIGHT,	INFIX,		BINARY),
 	SYM_OP(ADD,			PLUS,				ADDITION,	LEFT,	INFIX,		BINARY),
 	SYM_OP(SUBTRACT,		HYPHEN,				ADDITION,	LEFT,	INFIX,		BINARY),
@@ -70,6 +69,10 @@ static const struct ivy_operator operators[] = {
 	KW_OP(UNDERSTANDS,		UNDERSTANDS,			IS,		LEFT,	INFIX,		BINARY),
 	SYM_OP(SELF_ACCESS,		DOUBLE_COLON,			SUBSCRIPT,	LEFT,	INFIX,		BINARY),
 	SYM_OP(PKG_ACCESS,		HYPHEN_RIGHT_ANGLE,		SUBSCRIPT,	LEFT,	INFIX,		BINARY),
+
+	/* parser-internal pseudo-operators. */
+	TOK_OP(MSG,			IDENT,				UNARY_MSG,	LEFT,	POSTFIX,	UNARY),
+	SYM_OP(LEFT_PAREN,		LEFT_PAREN,			SUBSCRIPT,	LEFT,	INFIX,		UNARY),
 };
 static const size_t nr_operators = sizeof operators / sizeof operators[0];
 /* clang-format on */
@@ -87,3 +90,54 @@ const struct ivy_operator *ivy_operator_get(unsigned int token)
 
 	return op;
 }
+
+#define ENUM_STR(x)                                                            \
+	case x:                                                                \
+		return #x
+
+
+const char *ivy_operator_id_to_string(enum ivy_operator_id op)
+{
+	switch (op) {
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_NONE);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_ADD);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_SUBTRACT);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_MULTIPLY);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_DIVIDE);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_MODULO);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_LEFT_SHIFT);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_RIGHT_SHIFT);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_BINARY_AND);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_BINARY_OR);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_BINARY_XOR);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_LESS_THAN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_GREATER_THAN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_CASCADE);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_EQUAL);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_NOT_EQUAL);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_LESS_EQUAL);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_GREATER_EQUAL);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_ADD_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_SUBTRACT_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_MULTIPLY_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_DIVIDE_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_MODULO_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_LEFT_SHIFT_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_RIGHT_SHIFT_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_BINARY_AND_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_BINARY_OR_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_BINARY_XOR_ASSIGN);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_AND);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_OR);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_IS);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_NOT);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_UNDERSTANDS);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_SELF_ACCESS);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_PKG_ACCESS);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_MSG);
+		ENUM_STR(IVY_OP_LEFT_PAREN);
+	default:
+		return "";
+	}
+}