Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Na minha opinião, uma boa democracia precisa de uma oposição forte. - In my opinion, a good democracy needs a strong opposition.

You normally include the article in Portuguese, so instead of “em minha opinião”, people almost always say “na minha opinião” in European Portuguese. “Em minha opinião” is possible but sounds more formal/bookish.

Why is it “minha opinião” and not “meu opinião”?

Possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with the thing possessed, not with the person:

opinião is a feminine noun (it ends in -ão, but it’s grammatically feminine).
The feminine singular form of “my” is minha.
The masculine singular form would be meu.

So:

a minha opinião = my opinion
o meu carro = my car

Therefore, “minha opinião” is correct; “meu opinião” is grammatically wrong.

Is “Na minha opinião,” necessary, or can I leave it out?

You can leave it out; it just adds a hedge/softener, like in English.

With it:
Na minha opinião, uma boa democracia precisa de uma oposição forte.
→ Sounds more careful/polite: you’re presenting this as your personal view.
Without it:
Uma boa democracia precisa de uma oposição forte.
→ Sounds more direct and assertive, like a general statement of fact.

Both are correct. In discussions and essays, “Na minha opinião,” is very common to show you’re expressing a viewpoint rather than an absolute truth.

Why is it “uma boa democracia” and not “a boa democracia” or just “democracia”?

Portuguese normally uses an article where English might not. Here:

Uma boa democracia = a good democracy / any good democracy
You’re talking about the general idea of a good democracy, not one specific known democracy. The indefinite article “uma” fits that idea.
A boa democracia would sound like you are talking about a specific “good democracy” already identified or about “the good democracy” as a very specific concept. It feels less natural here.
Bare “democracia” (without any article) is unusual in this type of sentence in Portuguese. We’d normally say “uma democracia” or “a democracia”.

So “uma boa democracia” is the most natural way to express a generic idea: any democracy that is good.

Why is the adjective before the noun in “boa democracia”, but after the noun in “oposição forte”?

In Portuguese, adjectives can go before or after the noun, but the position often changes the nuance:

Before the noun (boa democracia)
- More subjective / evaluative / inherent.
- “uma boa democracia” = a democracy that is good in quality, meeting the ideal of what a democracy should be.
After the noun (oposição forte)
- More descriptive / factual.
- “uma oposição forte” = an opposition that happens to be strong (a fairly neutral description).

You could say:

uma democracia boa
uma forte oposição

Both are grammatically correct, but:

“uma democracia boa” can sound slightly more neutral or contrastive (e.g. some democracies are bad, but this one is good).
“uma forte oposição” sounds a bit more emphatic or formal, highlighting “strong” more.

The original sentence uses the most natural-sounding patterns: “uma boa democracia” and “uma oposição forte”.

Why is the verb “precisa” and not “preciso” or “precisam”?

The verb “precisar” is conjugated according to the subject of the sentence:

Subject here: uma boa democracia (singular, 3rd person)
So we use 3rd person singular present: ela precisa → “uma boa democracia precisa”

Forms for comparison:

eu preciso (I need)
tu precisas (you need – informal singular)
ele/ela precisa (he/she/it needs)
nós precisamos (we need)
eles/elas precisam (they need)

Since the subject is “uma boa democracia” (like “it”), the correct form is “precisa”.

Why do we say “precisa de” and not just “precisa uma oposição forte”?

In European Portuguese, when “precisar” means “to need”, it is normally followed by “de”:

precisar de algo = to need something
- precisar de dinheiro (to need money)
- precisar de ajuda (to need help)
- precisar de uma oposição forte (to need a strong opposition)

So the pattern is:

[subject] + precisa de + [noun]

Saying “precisa uma oposição forte” (without de) is incorrect in standard European Portuguese.

Note: With a verb after it, you also usually keep “de” in European Portuguese:

precisa de trabalhar = needs to work
precisa de ter uma oposição forte = needs to have a strong opposition

Could we say “necessita de uma oposição forte” instead of “precisa de uma oposição forte”?

Yes. “Necessitar de” is a synonym of “precisar de”, and the grammar is the same:

Uma boa democracia necessita de uma oposição forte.

Differences:

precisar de – more common and neutral, used in both spoken and written language.
necessitar de – a bit more formal or technical, more frequent in written or formal speech.

Both are correct in European Portuguese.

Why is it “oposição forte” and not “forte oposição”?

Both are possible, but they sound slightly different:

uma oposição forte
- More neutral, descriptive.
- Most common everyday order.
uma forte oposição
- More emphatic or stylistic.
- Common in formal speech or writing, especially in journalism or rhetoric, to highlight the adjective.

In this sentence, “uma oposição forte” is the most natural, standard word order.

How does gender and agreement work in “uma oposição forte”?

oposição is a feminine singular noun.
The article and any adjectives must agree with it:
- Article: uma (feminine singular)
- Adjective: forte (this form is the same for masculine and feminine in the singular)

So:

uma oposição forte – feminine singular
oposições fortes – feminine plural (note the -s on both oposições and fortes)

“forte” only changes between singular and plural:

singular: forte (masc. or fem.)
plural: fortes (masc. or fem.)

Is the comma after “Na minha opinião” required?

Yes, you should use a comma there.

“Na minha opinião” is an introductory phrase (an adverbial expression of viewpoint), and in standard written Portuguese it is separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma:

Na minha opinião, uma boa democracia precisa de uma oposição forte.

In more informal writing or texting, some people might omit the comma, but in careful or formal writing the comma is expected.

Is this sentence formal, neutral, or informal? Would it sound natural in Portugal?

The sentence is neutral and sounds completely natural in European Portuguese.

Vocabulary: democracia, oposição – more formal topics, but the words themselves are standard.
Structure: Na minha opinião, ... precisa de ... – very common in both spoken and written language.

You could use this sentence:

In a casual conversation about politics.
In a classroom discussion.
In an opinion article, essay, or debate.

It’s neither slangy nor overly formal — just good, standard European Portuguese.