Breakdown of Noventa por cento da minoria apoia a abstenção.
do
of the / from the (contracted)
noventa
ninety
a
to / at (direction)
apoiar
to support
por cento
percent
a minoria
the minority
a abstenção
the abstention
Questions & Answers about Noventa por cento da minoria apoia a abstenção.
"Noventa por cento" is plural (90%), so why is the verb "apoia" in the singular?
In Portuguese, when a percentage is followed by de + a noun, the verb usually agrees with that noun. Since a minoria (the minority) is singular, the verb becomes the singular apoia. While it is technically acceptable in formal grammar to make the verb plural to agree with the number ninety (apoiam), agreeing with the closest noun is much more common and sounds more natural.
Is "minoria" always treated as singular, even though it refers to a group of multiple people?
Yes, minoria is a collective noun. It takes a singular verb because it represents one single group, similar to how it works in English. If you wanted to focus on the individual people rather than the group as a whole, you would use a plural phrase like os membros da minoria (the members of the minority), which would then require a plural verb.
Why do we use "da" instead of just "de" before "minoria"?
Portuguese generally requires definite articles before specific, identifiable nouns. Because this sentence refers to a specific minority group in a particular context, we combine the preposition de (of) with the definite article a (the) to make da. Using just de would sound unnatural here, as if "minority" were merely an abstract category rather than a specific group of people.
Does "abstenção" only refer to voting?
While abstenção most commonly refers to abstaining from a vote or an election (as it clearly does in this political sentence), it can also mean abstaining from an action or habit, such as drinking alcohol. It comes from the reflexive verb abster-se (to abstain).
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