🇵🇹 Portuguese · C1 · Media Analysis

Writing an opinion article

8 min read · advanced opinion connectors · concessive structures · epistemic modalization

Vocabulary

o artigo de opiniãothe opinion article
o ponto de vistathe point of view
o editorialthe editorial
a colunathe column
argumentarto argue
a tesethe thesis/argument
a concessãothe concession
a modalizaçãothe modalization
o contra-argumentothe counter-argument
a tomada de posiçãothe stance / position taking

Writing an Opinion Article in Portuguese

Advanced Opinion Connectors

C1-level opinion writing requires sophisticated connectors:

Na minha perspetiva (From my perspective) — stronger than "na minha opinião"
Afigura-se-me que (It seems to me that) — formal and nuanced
Sou de opinião que (I am of the opinion that) — assertive yet formal

Concessive Structures

Good opinion writing acknowledges opposing views:

Conquanto se possa argumentar que... é inegável que (Although one may argue that... it is undeniable that)
Reconheça-se embora que... não deixa de ser verdade que (Even though one may acknowledge... it remains true that)

Epistemic Modalization

Express degrees of certainty without being absolute:

É provável que (It is probable that) + subjunctive
Tudo indica que (Everything indicates that) + indicative
Não será descabido afirmar que (It would not be unreasonable to state that)

Article Structure

A Portuguese opinion article follows: a hook (abertura), thesis statement, 2-3 supporting arguments with evidence, a concession to the opposing view, and a strong conclusion (fecho).

Tip: The best opinion articles in Portuguese balance passion with intellectual rigor. Use data to support emotional arguments.

Expressions

Na minha perspetiva, importa refletirFrom my perspective, it is important to reflect
Sou de opinião que se deveriaI am of the opinion that one should
Conquanto se possa discordarAlthough one may disagree
É inegável que a situação exigeIt is undeniable that the situation demands
Não será descabido afirmar queIt would not be unreasonable to state
Em jeito de conclusãoBy way of conclusion

Common mistakes

~~Eu acho que isto é mau~~
Afigura-se-me que esta situação é preocupante
«Eu acho» is too casual for opinion articles — use formal hedging
~~Toda a gente sabe que~~
É amplamente reconhecido que
«Toda a gente sabe» is an informal generalization
~~Conquanto se possa argumentar, mas~~
Conquanto se possa argumentar...
«Conquanto» already introduces concession — adding «mas» is redundant
~~Na minha opinião pessoal~~
Na minha perspetiva
«Opinião pessoal» is redundant — opinions are always personal
~~É verdade que, porém contudo~~
É verdade que... contudo / porém
«Porém» and «contudo» are synonyms — use one, not both

Quick quiz

Question 1 of 5

How do you say “the counter-argument” in Portuguese?

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