Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Tenho respeito pelos colegas que admitem quando não sabem algo. - I have respect for colleagues who admit when they don’t know something.

Tenho respeito pelos colegas…
Literally: I have respect for colleagues…
This sounds a bit more formal, emphasising the feeling/attitude of respect as something you "have".
Respeito os colegas que admitem…
Literally: I respect the colleagues who admit…
This is more direct and slightly more informal, focusing on the action of respecting them.

In everyday European Portuguese you could definitely say:

Respeito os colegas que admitem quando não sabem algo.

The original sentence chooses ter respeito por to highlight the quality of respect as an inner attitude, not just a single act.

What exactly does pelos mean here?

Pelos is a contraction of:

por + os = pelos

So pelos colegas literally means “for the colleagues”.

The structure is:

ter respeito por alguém = to have respect for someone

Because colegas is masculine plural (even if it includes women), you use por + os → pelos.

Other examples:

Tenho respeito por ti. – I have respect for you.
Tenho respeito pelos meus professores. – I have respect for my teachers.

Why is it pelos colegas and not para os colegas or aos colegas?

It’s because of the fixed expression:

ter respeito por alguém = to have respect for someone

In Portuguese, por is the normal preposition after respeito:

respeito por alguém / por algo

Using other prepositions would be unusual or wrong here:

✗ respeito para os colegas – incorrect in this meaning
✗ respeito aos colegas – sounds wrong / non‑idiomatic in this context

Correct patterns:

Tenho respeito por ele. – I have respect for him.
Mostra respeito pelos outros. – Show respect for others.

What does colegas mean exactly? Colleagues? Classmates? Friends?

Colega is a flexible word:

It can mean:
- colleague (at work)
- classmate (at school/university)
- sometimes simply someone in the same group or team

It does not automatically mean "friend"; it’s neutral, like English colleague or classmate.

Also:

colega is gender‑neutral in form.
- o colega = male colleague
- a colega = female colleague
- os colegas can mean a group of all men or a mixed group.

In the sentence, pelos colegas could be your work colleagues, classmates, or teammates, depending on context.

Why is it que admitem and not something like que admitem isso?

Que admitem introduces a relative clause that describes colegas:

os colegas que admitem… = the colleagues who admit…

You don’t need isso here because what they admit is expressed right after:

…que admitem quando não sabem algo.
→ They admit (what?) that they don’t know something when that happens.

If you wanted to use isso, you’d change the structure:

Tenho respeito pelos colegas que admitem que não sabem algo.
(I respect colleagues who admit that they don’t know something.)

Both are correct, but:

que admitem quando não sabem algo
focuses on the moment/situation when they admit it.
que admitem que não sabem algo
focuses more on the content of what they admit.

Why is it quando não sabem algo and not quando eles não sabem algo?

In Portuguese, when the subject is clear from context, it’s very common to leave out the subject pronoun:

(Eles) não sabem algo. → Não sabem algo.

Here, the subject is already clear from os colegas and admitem:

os colegas que admitem quando não sabem algo
→ The colleagues (they) admit when (they) don’t know something.

Adding eles is usually unnecessary and can sound heavy:

…que admitem quando eles não sabem algo. – grammatically OK, but more emphatic and less natural in a neutral sentence like this.

What’s the difference between não sabem algo and não sabem nada?

They’re different in meaning:

não sabem algo
= they don’t know something
→ Suggests there is a particular thing they don’t know.
não sabem nada
= they don’t know anything / they know nothing
→ Much stronger; suggests they’re totally ignorant about the topic.

Your sentence:

…que admitem quando não sabem algo.
= who admit it when they don’t know something (specific).

If you said:

…que admitem quando não sabem nada.
It would sound like: who admit when they know absolutely nothing, which is a much harsher judgment.

What is the nuance between algo and alguma coisa?

Both mean “something”, and in this sentence you could use either:

…quando não sabem algo.
…quando não sabem alguma coisa.

Nuances in European Portuguese:

algo
- a bit more formal / concise / written
- common in careful speech and writing.
alguma coisa
- more colloquial / everyday
- very frequent in spoken language.

In casual spoken EP, you’d probably hear:

Tenho respeito pelos colegas que admitem quando não sabem alguma coisa.

Could I say admitir que não sabem algo instead of admitir quando não sabem algo?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly:

…que admitem quando não sabem algo.
- Focus: the moment/situation
- They admit it whenever there is something they don’t know.
…que admitem que não sabem algo.
- Focus: what they say
- They admit that they don’t know something.

Both are natural. The original version highlights their habit of admitting it at the right time (when they realise they don’t know).

Could I change the word order to que, quando não sabem algo, admitem?

You can, and it’s grammatically correct:

Tenho respeito pelos colegas que, quando não sabem algo, admitem.

However:

It sounds more formal/literary.
In everyday speech, the original order is more natural and fluid:
- …colegas que admitem quando não sabem algo.

So the original is more typical of normal spoken and written Portuguese.

Why is it não sabem and not não conhecem?

In Portuguese, the verbs saber and conhecer are used differently:

saber = to know facts, information, how to do something
- Não sabem algo. – They don’t know something (some information).
conhecer = to be familiar with people, places, things
- Não conhecem Lisboa. – They don’t know / aren’t familiar with Lisbon.
- Não conhecem aquela pessoa. – They don’t know that person.

Since we’re talking about not knowing some piece of information, saber is the correct verb:

…quando não sabem algo.
= when they don’t know something (informational/mental content).

Is this sentence formal or informal, and in what situations could I use it?

The sentence is neutral in register:

Vocabulary and structure are standard.
You can use it in spoken or written language.

Situations where it fits well:

Talking about colleagues in a work meeting:
- Tenho respeito pelos colegas que admitem quando não sabem algo.
In an email or message discussing team culture.
In a conversation about learning, humility, or professionalism.

With a tiny tweak, it can feel even more conversational:

Gosto de colegas que admitem quando não sabem alguma coisa.
(I like colleagues who admit when they don’t know something.)

Any tips on pronouncing tenho and não in European Portuguese?

Yes:

tenho
- Sounds roughly like "TEN-nyu" in EP.
- The -nh- is a palatal sound, like the “ñ” in Spanish “niño” or the “ny” in English “canyon”.
não
- Has a nasal vowel.
- Roughly like English “now”, but with the “ow” made through the nose, and the final -m/-n is not clearly pronounced; it mainly nasalises the vowel.

In European Portuguese:

Final -o in tenho is usually very weak, almost like “uh” or even barely audible.
The ão in não is one of the most characteristic nasal sounds; you’ll hear it in many common words like irmão, pão, não.