Breakdown of O tribunal julgou o réu culpado.
o tribunal
the court
culpado
guilty
julgar
to judge
o réu
the defendant
Questions & Answers about O tribunal julgou o réu culpado.
Why does culpado appear right after the object, and does it need to agree with it?
Yes, it must agree! Here, culpado acts as an object complement (a word that describes the direct object). Because the direct object o réu (the defendant) is masculine singular, the adjective culpado must also be masculine singular. If the defendant were female (a ré), the sentence would be O tribunal julgou a ré culpada.
In English we sometimes say the court judged the defendant 'to be' guilty. Do we ever need to add a verb like ser here?
No, verbs that express opinion, judgment, or evaluation—like julgar (to judge), considerar (to consider), and achar (to find or think)—directly connect the direct object and its complement. Adding an infinitive verb like ser here sounds unnatural in Portuguese for this specific structure.
Can I change the word order and put the adjective before the object, like julgou culpado o réu?
It is technically possible in highly literary or formal contexts, but in standard everyday Portuguese, the object complement almost always comes strictly after the direct object. Sticking to the Verb + Object + Complement order (julgou o réu culpado) is the safest and most natural choice.
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