Question 1

Why does soubemos mean "found out" here instead of "knew"?

Accepted Answer

This is a perfect example of a state-of-mind verb changing its meaning based on the past tense you choose. Saber means "to know". However, because it is used here in the Pretérito Perfeito (which describes a single, completed event), it shifts to mean the exact moment that knowledge was acquired: "found out" or "learned". If you wanted to describe an ongoing state in the past ("we knew"), you would use the Pretérito Imperfeito: sabíamos.

Question 2

Could I say descobrimos instead of soubemos?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Descobrimos (from descobrir, meaning "to discover") would also work perfectly here to mean "we found out" or "we discovered". Using soubemos is simply a very natural, everyday way to express learning a piece of information.

Question 3

What exactly is a praxe?

Accepted Answer

Praxe (often called praxe académica) is a highly specific cultural word in Portugal. It refers to the traditional initiation rituals for university freshmen. It is similar to university hazing or fraternity pledging, and it is a massive, highly visible part of Portuguese academic culture, famous for the older students wearing traditional black suits and capes.

Question 4

Is it necessary to include nós before the verb?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. The verb ending in soubemos already tells you the subject is "we". Including nós here is optional and just adds a little bit of emphasis, as if saying "However, we found out the truth (even if others didn't)."

No entanto, nós soubemos a verdade sobre a praxe.

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