Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Na democracia, todas as pessoas adultas podem votar.

In Portuguese, these contractions are obligatory in standard usage. You wouldn’t normally say em a democracia; you must contract it to na democracia.

Why is it democracia (feminine) and not a masculine word?

In Portuguese, every noun has a grammatical gender, masculine or feminine, and democracia is feminine.

Many abstract nouns ending in -ia are feminine:
- a democracia (democracy)
- a economia (economy)
- a filosofia (philosophy)

There’s no logical reason tied to meaning; it’s just part of the word’s dictionary form. So you have to learn it as a democracia, not o democracia.

Is the comma after Na democracia necessary?

Yes, it is natural and common here, though not absolutely obligatory.

Na democracia is an introductory prepositional phrase giving context. In European Portuguese, it’s very common to set this off with a comma:

Na democracia, todas as pessoas adultas podem votar.

You could omit the comma in some styles, but the version with the comma is more standard and clear.

Why is it todas as pessoas adultas and not just todas as pessoas?

Todas as pessoas means “all people” (everyone), but the original sentence specifically wants “all adult people” or “all adults”.

todas as pessoas = all people (no age restriction implied)
todas as pessoas adultas = all adult people (children are excluded)

So adultas is needed to match the idea that only adults can vote.

Why is adultas feminine plural?

Adultas is an adjective modifying pessoas:

pessoa is always feminine in Portuguese, regardless of whether the person is male or female:
- a pessoa (the person)
- as pessoas (the people)

Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun:

singular feminine: pessoa adulta
plural feminine: pessoas adultas

So you must say pessoas adultas, not pessoas adultos.

Could you say todos os adultos instead of todas as pessoas adultas?

Yes, that’s also correct and very natural:

Na democracia, todos os adultos podem votar.

Differences in nuance:

todas as pessoas adultas literally focuses on people (with the extra specification that they’re adult).
todos os adultos speaks directly of adults as a group.

Both are fine; the meaning for practical purposes is the same here.

What tense is podem and what verb is it from?

Podem is the present indicative, 3rd person plural form of the verb poder (to be able to / can / may).

Basic present forms of poder:

eu posso – I can
tu podes – you (singular informal) can
ele/ela/você pode – he/she/you (formal) can
nós podemos – we can
vocês/eles/elas podem – you (plural) / they can

Here, todas as pessoas adultas is plural, so you use podem.

Why is it podem votar and not something like podem de votar?

In Portuguese, poder is followed directly by another verb in the infinitive, with no preposition:

poder + infinitive
- podem votar – they can vote
- pode falar – he/she can speak
- podemos sair – we can go out

You don’t insert de, a, or any other preposition between poder and the infinitive.

What is the difference between votar and voto?

votar is a verb (infinitive): to vote.
- Eles podem votar. – They can vote.
voto is a noun: vote (the act, or a ballot).
- O meu voto é secreto. – My vote is secret.

In this sentence, you need the action to vote, so you use the verb votar, not the noun voto.

How do you pronounce democracia in European Portuguese?

In European Portuguese, democracia is roughly:

[dɨ-mo-kɾɐ-ˈsi-ɐ]

Broken down:

de-: like dɨ, with a very reduced /ɨ/ sound
-mo-: like mo, close to English “moh”
-cra-: kɾɐ, with a tapped r (a quick tongue tap) and the ɐ sound (like a very short “uh”)
-cia: si-ɐ, stress is here: -SI-, then a light a sound

Stress falls on -ci-: de-mo-cra-SI-a.

Why is todas feminine instead of todos?

Todas agrees with pessoas, which is feminine plural:

a pessoa → toda a pessoa (every person)
as pessoas → todas as pessoas (all people)

If the noun were masculine plural, you’d use todos:

os adultos → todos os adultos

Agreement chain here:
todas (fem. pl.) → as (fem. pl.) → pessoas (fem. pl.) → adultas (fem. pl.)

Could you drop todas as and just say Pessoas adultas podem votar?

Grammatically, Pessoas adultas podem votar is possible, but it sounds incomplete or too generic, like:

“Adult people can vote” (as a general statement about a type of person)

To clearly express “all adult people”, standard Portuguese strongly prefers:

Todas as pessoas adultas podem votar.

The todas as makes the universal sense explicit (all, every).

Is Na democracia the only way to say “In a democracy”, or can I say Em democracia?

Both are possible, but they differ slightly:

Na democracia = in the democracy (more concrete, referring to the system of democracy in general, as a concept treated like a noun with an article).
Em democracia (without an article) = in (a context of) democracy, more abstract, used in more formal or political speech. Example:
- Em democracia, o poder vem do povo. – In (a system of) democracy, power comes from the people.

In everyday language, Na democracia is very natural and perfectly fine for the meaning given.