obedeça

Obedeça is a Portuguese verb form derived from obedecer, meaning to obey. It functions as an imperative form used when addressing a single person in a polite or formal manner (você) or as the third-person singular present subjunctive in subordinate clauses. For example, Obedeça às regras is a direct command directed at someone addressed as you.

Grammatically, obedeça is closely related to the verb’s subjunctive mood. It appears in two main contexts: as the imperative form for you (você) in commands, and as the present subjunctive form in clauses introduced by verbs of wishing, doubt, necessity, or command, as in Que ele obedeça às leis. Other related forms include obedece (tu imperative in informal speech) and obedecem (eles/elas present indicative or imperative for vocês in some constructions).

Etymology traces obedeça to obedecer, which comes from Latin obœdire, from ob- (toward) and audire (to hear). The word shares its roots with related Romance verbs meaning to listen and comply with authority.

Usage notes: Obedeça conveys a direct, formal tone and is common in instructions, regulations, legal language, or formal directives. Its meaning remains the same across contexts: to comply with orders, rules, or expectations. In everyday speech, speakers may use alternative forms like obedece or obedeçam depending on the level of formality and the pronoun used.

See also: obedecer; obediência; obediente.