Breakdown of Eles passaram a praticar a desobediência civil.
eles
they (m)
o
him/it (m)
praticar
to practice
passar a
to start to (do) / to turn into (change into)
civil
civil
a desobediência
the disobedience
Questions & Answers about Eles passaram a praticar a desobediência civil.
How does the prefix des- change the meaning of obediência in this sentence?
The prefix des- indicates negation, opposition, or the reversal of an action. Here, it attaches to obediência (obedience) to form desobediência (disobedience). While prefixes like in- often just mean a neutral 'not', des- frequently carries a stronger sense of active opposition, which perfectly fits the deliberate nature of civil disobedience.
Why use passaram a praticar instead of começaram a praticar?
Both translate to 'started to practice', but passar a carries the specific nuance of a transition or a change in behavior. It implies 'from that point on, they began to practice'. When talking about adopting a new ongoing habit or shifting strategies (like turning to civil disobedience), passar a followed by an infinitive is an extremely natural choice in Portuguese.
Why is there an a before desobediência when English just says 'civil disobedience'?
In Portuguese, abstract nouns generally require a definite article even when used in a broad, general sense. While English drops the article for concepts like 'justice' or 'disobedience', Portuguese keeps it. Therefore, you must include the feminine article and say they practice a desobediência civil.
If we were talking about 'civil rights' instead of disobedience, how would the adjective civil change?
Words ending in the stressed syllable -il typically drop the -l and add -is to form the plural. So, while we say desobediência civil in the singular, 'civil rights' would become direitos civis.
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