Question 1

Why is there a Não at the beginning if nem... nem already means 'neither... nor'?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, if the nem... nem (neither... nor) structure comes after the verb, you must use a negative word like não before the verb. This double negative is required in Portuguese, unlike in English where saying 'We don't accept neither' would be incorrect.

Question 2

Do we always have to include the articles a and o after nem?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the noun requires an article, nem does not replace it. Because this sentence talks about specific things—a condição (the condition) and o acordo (the agreement)—you must keep their definite articles right after each nem.

Question 3

Since aceitamos is the 'nós' form, could this sentence also be in the past tense?

Accepted Answer

Yes! For regular -ar verbs, the nós (we) conjugation is identical in both the present tense and the simple past (pretérito perfeito). Without additional context, this sentence could absolutely mean 'We neither accepted the condition nor the agreement.'

Question 4

Is it possible to phrase this without the Não at the start?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but you would have to move the nem... nem phrase before the verb, like this: Nem a condição nem o acordo aceitamos. When the negative words come before the verb, the não is dropped. However, the structure used in our example sentence is much more natural for everyday conversation.

Não aceitamos nem a condição nem o acordo.

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