Question 1

Does nem sequer need another negative word like não before the verb?

Accepted Answer

No. When nem sequer (meaning "not even") comes before the verb, it acts as the negative word itself, so you don't need não. If it came after the verb, you would need a double negative, as in: Eles não discutiram nem sequer a ratificação...

Question 2

I thought discutir meant "to argue". Can it also mean "to discuss"?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it can mean both! While it often translates to "argue" (in the sense of a heated verbal disagreement), in formal contexts like this one, discutir simply means "to discuss" or "to debate". The formal context of ratifying a pact makes "discuss" the most natural translation here.

Question 3

How could we use this lesson's phrase, aquando de, to alter this sentence to mean "They didn't even argue at the time of the pact's formal ratification"?

Accepted Answer

You would change the structure to: Eles nem sequer discutiram aquando da ratificação formal do pacto. Notice how de combines with the feminine article a to become da. This changes the ratification from being the topic of discussion into the anchor in time when the arguing didn't happen.

Question 4

Could we place formal before the noun, saying a formal ratificação?

Accepted Answer

No, that would sound unnatural. In Portuguese, adjectives that objectively classify a noun (like formal, político, or nacional) normally must come after it. Placing an adjective before the noun is usually reserved for emphasizing subjective qualities.

Eles nem sequer discutiram a ratificação formal do pacto.

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