Breakdown of A ética separa o justo do injusto.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
o
him/it (m)
separar
to separate
justo
fair
Questions & Answers about A ética separa o justo do injusto.
Why do we use o justo instead of just justo here?
Where does the do in do injusto come from?
It is a contraction of the preposition de (from) and the article o (the). Just like o justo, the article o turns the adjective injusto into the noun concept "the unfair". We need de because the verb separar requires it to show what something is separated from (separar algo de algo).
Why does the sentence say A ética when in English it's just "Ethics"?
In Portuguese, you must use definite articles (o, a, os, as) before abstract nouns and general concepts. While English drops the word "the" for broad concepts like ethics, love, or science, Portuguese keeps it.
Can the word justo mean anything else besides "fair"?
Yes! While it means "fair" or "just" in a moral or legal sense, it is also commonly used to mean "tight" when talking about clothes. For example, umas calças justas means "tight trousers".