Breakdown of Até o professor obcecado reconhece a determinação dela.
o professor
the teacher (m)
ela
she
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
reconhecer
to recognize
até
even
obcecado
obsessed
a determinação
the determination
Questions & Answers about Até o professor obcecado reconhece a determinação dela.
Doesn't até normally mean "until"? How does it mean "even" here?
You likely learned até as a preposition in phrases like até amanhã (until tomorrow) or ir até a praia (to go to the beach). However, it also acts as an inclusive adverb meaning "even". In this sentence, it shows surprise or emphasis, indicating that this specific, obsessed teacher is no exception to the rule.
Could I put até in a different part of the sentence?
Focus adverbs like até generally go immediately before the exact information they emphasize. Because the sentence means "Even the teacher...", até must go right before o professor. If you put it before the verb (O professor até reconhece...), the meaning shifts to "The teacher even recognizes..." (implying he does other things, too).
Why doesn't até combine with the article o?
Unlike prepositions such as de or a which merge with definite articles (forming words like do or ao), até never contracts with articles. You will always see it written as two completely separate words: até o or até a.
Why does the sentence use dela at the end instead of a sua determinação?
While a sua determinação is perfectly correct, the possessive sua can mean "his", "her", "your" (formal singular), or "their". To completely avoid this ambiguity, European Portuguese speakers frequently place dela (a contraction of de + ela, meaning "of hers") after the noun.
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