When you hear rebelar, think about someone standing up against rules or a leader. It's like saying "no" to something you don't agree with, especially when it's a big group saying "no" to a government. Imagine a group of people who are unhappy with the way things are, so they decide to resist and maybe even try to change things. That's rebelar.
When we talk about the word "rebelar," we're discussing an action of strong opposition. It often implies a collective effort against an established authority, like a government or a dominant force. Think of it as rising up or revolting when conditions become intolerable or unjust.
For instance, you might hear about people choosing to "rebelar-se contra" something, meaning they are actively pushing back. It's a word that carries significant weight, suggesting a principled stand rather than just simple disobedience.
When we talk about the word "rebelar," we're often looking at situations where there's a strong, overt act of defiance against an established authority. Think of it as a significant uprising, not just a minor disagreement. It implies a collective action or a strong personal stand against something that's seen as unjust or oppressive. The core idea is about actively resisting control, whether it's political, social, or even within a smaller group context. It's a powerful word that conveys a sense of breaking away from norms or rules.
§ Rebelar: Verb Conjugation
The verb "rebelar" means "to revolt" or "to rebel." It's a regular verb ending in -ar, but it can be used reflexively, which changes its meaning slightly. When used reflexively as "rebelar-se," it means "to rebel oneself" or "to revolt against." Let's look at its conjugation in the present tense:
- Present Tense Conjugation (Non-Reflexive)
- Eu rebelo (I rebel)
- Tu rebelas (You rebel - informal)
- Ele/Ela/Você rebela (He/She/You rebel - formal)
- Nós rebelamos (We rebel)
- Vós rebelais (You rebel - plural, informal, mostly used in Portugal)
- Eles/Elas/Vocês rebelam (They/You rebel - plural, formal)
- Present Tense Conjugation (Reflexive: rebelar-se)
- Eu me rebelo (I rebel myself / I rebel)
- Tu te rebelas (You rebel yourself / You rebel)
- Ele/Ela/Você se rebela (He/She/You rebel themselves / He/She/You rebel)
- Nós nos rebelamos (We rebel ourselves / We rebel)
- Vós vos rebelais (You rebel yourselves / You rebel)
- Eles/Elas/Vocês se rebelam (They/You rebel themselves / They/You rebel)
§ Using 'rebelar' in Sentences
When you want to say *who* or *what* someone is rebelling against, you'll typically use the preposition "contra" (against).
Os estudantes decidiram se rebelar contra as novas regras. (The students decided to rebel against the new rules.)
Here, "se rebelar" is used to show the students are acting against something.
Ele rebelou-se contra a injustiça. (He rebelled against the injustice.)
This sentence uses the past tense of the reflexive form, showing a completed action of rebellion.
§ Common Phrases and Usage
While "rebelar" can sound quite strong, implying a political or societal uprising, it can also be used in a slightly more figurative sense, though still conveying a strong opposition.
Não podemos nos rebelar toda vez que algo não sai como queremos. (We can't rebel every time something doesn't go our way.)
This example shows "rebelar-se" in a more general context of resisting or opposing personal circumstances.
In summary, "rebelar" is a verb that implies a strong act of resistance. Pay attention to its reflexive form "rebelar-se" and the preposition "contra" to clearly express what or whom the rebellion is directed against.
How Formal Is It?
"Os cidadãos decidiram insurgir-se contra as novas leis fiscais. (The citizens decided to rise up against the new tax laws.)"
"O povo revoltou-se com a corrupção do governo. (The people revolted against the government's corruption.)"
"Eles estão fartos e vão virar a mesa. (They are fed up and are going to turn the tables / revolt.)"
"O menino desobedeceu aos pais e não foi dormir. (The boy disobeyed his parents and didn't go to sleep.)"
"A galera cansou de ser explorada e vai dar um chega pra lá no chefe. (The crowd got tired of being exploited and is going to give the boss a 'get out of here' / push back.)"
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What to Learn Next
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Examples by Level
O povo vai rebelar.
The people will rebel.
Ele pode rebelar contra o chefe.
He can rebel against the boss.
Nós não vamos rebelar.
We are not going to rebel.
Eles querem rebelar.
They want to rebel.
Você não deve rebelar.
You should not rebel.
Eu não vou rebelar.
I will not rebel.
Por que eles vão rebelar?
Why are they going to rebel?
A criança vai rebelar.
The child will rebel.
O povo decidiu se rebelar contra as novas leis.
The people decided to rebel against the new laws.
Os soldados se recusaram a rebelar-se.
The soldiers refused to rebel.
É perigoso rebelar-se contra um exército forte.
It is dangerous to rebel against a strong army.
Eles não querem se rebelar, mas estão cansados.
They don't want to rebel, but they are tired.
Quando oprime, o povo pode rebelar-se.
When it oppresses, the people can rebel.
Muitas pessoas se sentem como se quisessem rebelar-se.
Many people feel like they want to rebel.
Será que eles vão se rebelar contra a liderança?
Will they rebel against the leadership?
Ele estava pronto para se rebelar por uma causa justa.
He was ready to rebel for a just cause.
O povo decidiu se rebelar contra a corrupção generalizada no governo, buscando por justiça e mudanças.
The people decided to rebel against the widespread corruption in the government, seeking justice and changes.
Here, 'se rebelar' is used reflexively, indicating the people are rebelling themselves.
Desde a infância, ele sempre teve um espírito que o fazia rebelar-se contra as regras injustas.
Since childhood, he always had a spirit that made him rebel against unfair rules.
'Rebelar-se' again is reflexive, emphasizing personal defiance.
Os estudantes ameaçaram rebelar contra as novas políticas da universidade que restringiam a liberdade de expressão.
The students threatened to rebel against the university's new policies that restricted freedom of speech.
Here, 'rebelar' is used transitively with 'contra' to specify what they are rebelling against.
A história mostra que, em várias ocasiões, a população se viu obrigada a rebelar para garantir seus direitos.
History shows that, on several occasions, the population was forced to rebel to guarantee their rights.
'Se viu obrigada a rebelar' means 'found itself obligated to rebel'.
Alguns analistas políticos preveem que a tensão social pode levar a um levante e o povo vai rebelar.
Some political analysts predict that social tension may lead to an uprising and the people will rebel.
Using 'vai rebelar' is an informal way to express future tense, similar to 'going to rebel'.
Ele se recusava a aceitar a derrota e sentia um desejo profundo de rebelar-se contra o sistema que o oprimia.
He refused to accept defeat and felt a deep desire to rebel against the system that oppressed him.
'Rebelar-se contra' is a common construction to indicate rebellion against something.
A liderança da oposição tentou incitar os cidadãos a rebelar contra as medidas econômicas impopulares.
The opposition leadership tried to incite the citizens to rebel against the unpopular economic measures.
'Incitar a rebelar' means 'to incite to rebel'.
Mesmo diante de um poder esmagador, o pequeno grupo de ativistas ousou rebelar e lutar por suas crenças.
Even in the face of overwhelming power, the small group of activists dared to rebel and fight for their beliefs.
'Ousou rebelar' means 'dared to rebel', showing courage in the action.
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
Ele decidiu rebelar-se contra as ordens.
He decided to rebel against the orders.
Não é hora de se rebelar.
It's not time to rebel.
Os trabalhadores se rebelaram contra as más condições.
The workers rebelled against the poor conditions.
Por que você se rebelou?
Why did you rebel?
É natural que os jovens se rebelem.
It's natural for young people to rebel.
Eles não se rebelaram facilmente.
They didn't rebel easily.
Se nos rebelarmos, o que acontecerá?
If we rebel, what will happen?
A população pode se rebelar.
The population might rebel.
Ela se rebelou contra as expectativas da família.
She rebelled against her family's expectations.
É preciso coragem para se rebelar.
It takes courage to rebel.
Grammar Patterns
Sentence Patterns
O povo se rebelou contra o governo.
The people rebelled against the government.
Eles decidiram rebelar-se contra as injustiças.
They decided to rebel against the injustices.
É preciso coragem para rebelar-se.
It takes courage to rebel.
A história mostra exemplos de grupos que se rebelaram por liberdade.
History shows examples of groups that rebelled for freedom.
Quando as pessoas se sentem oprimidas, elas podem rebelar-se.
When people feel oppressed, they might rebel.
As manifestações indicam que a população pode estar prestes a rebelar-se.
The demonstrations indicate that the population might be about to rebel.
O direito de rebelar-se é, para muitos, um último recurso em face da tirania.
The right to rebel is, for many, a last resort in the face of tyranny.
Não é incomum que os jovens se rebelem contra as normas estabelecidas.
It's not uncommon for young people to rebel against established norms.
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsRebelar means to rebel, to revolt, or to rise up against authority. Think of it as actively opposing something, usually a government or a powerful group.
It's a regular -ar verb. So, it goes:
Eu rebelo (I rebel)
Tu rebelas (You rebel - informal)
Ele/Ela/Você revela (He/She/You rebel)
Nós revelamos (We rebel)
Eles/Elas/Vocês revelam (They/You all rebel)
Yes, it can! While it often refers to political rebellion, you can also use it for more personal acts of defiance. For example, a teenager might 'rebelar' against their parents' rules. It signifies a strong opposition.
Both involve opposition, but rebelar implies a more active, often organized, and sometimes violent act of rising up. Opor (to oppose) is more general and can be a passive disagreement or resistance. You can 'opor' an idea, but you 'rebelar' against a regime.
One common phrase is 'rebelar-se contra' (to rebel against). For instance, 'O povo rebelou-se contra o ditador' (The people rebelled against the dictator).
It depends on your perspective! From the viewpoint of the authority being rebelled against, it's negative. From the viewpoint of those rebelling for a cause, it might be seen as positive or necessary. It's a neutral verb in terms of inherent good or bad.
The noun form is 'rebelião' (rebellion). So, 'A rebelião começou na praça' (The rebellion started in the square).
Absolutely, and it's very common! 'Rebelar-se' (to rebel oneself, or simply to rebel) emphasizes the subject's active role in the rebellion. 'Eles se rebelaram' (They rebelled).
You could say: 'Ele rebelou-se contra o chefe.' (He rebelled against the boss.) Or, less commonly, 'Ele rebelou contra o chefe.'
Some close synonyms include 'revoltar-se' (to revolt, often with an emotional component of outrage), 'sublevar-se' (to rise up, often implying a large group), and 'insurgir-se' (to rebel, often with military connotations).
Test Yourself 36 questions
Qual destas palavras significa o oposto de 'obedecer'?
Se 'obedecer' é seguir regras, 'rebelar' é ir contra elas.
Um grupo de pessoas não está feliz com as regras. O que eles podem fazer?
Quando as pessoas não gostam das regras, elas podem 'rebelar-se' para tentar mudá-las.
O que significa quando alguém 'se rebela' contra seus pais?
Rebelar-se contra os pais significa não obedecer às suas regras ou expectativas.
Um filho pode se rebelar contra seus pais.
Sim, 'rebelar' pode ser usado para descrever quando um filho não segue as regras dos pais.
Rebelar significa sempre fazer algo bom.
Não necessariamente. 'Rebelar' é sobre se opor, e isso pode ser visto de maneiras diferentes.
Se você gosta de todas as regras, você se rebela.
Não, se você gosta das regras, você provavelmente as segue, não se rebela.
I don't want to rebel.
They will rebel against the king.
Why are you going to rebel?
Read this aloud:
Eu não quero rebelar.
Focus: rebelar
You said:
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Read this aloud:
Eles vão rebelar contra o rei.
Focus: rebelar
You said:
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Read this aloud:
Por que você vai rebelar?
Focus: rebelar
You said:
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Os trabalhadores decidiram se ___ contra as novas regras.
The workers decided to rebel against the new rules. 'Rebelar' fits the context of opposing something.
É difícil ___ quando todos os outros concordam.
It's difficult to rebel when everyone else agrees. 'Rebelar' implies going against the general opinion.
Ele disse que não vai ___ e vai seguir as ordens.
He said he won't rebel and will follow orders. The sentence implies compliance, so 'rebelar' (to rebel) is the opposite of what he'll do.
As crianças começaram a ___ quando não puderam jogar.
The children started to rebel when they couldn't play. 'Rebelar' in this context means to act out or protest.
A história mostra que o povo pode ___ contra a tirania.
History shows that people can rebel against tyranny. 'Rebelar' signifies resistance against oppression.
Apesar das ameaças, eles decidiram ___.
Despite the threats, they decided to rebel. 'Rebelar' indicates a courageous act of defiance.
This sentence means 'The citizens are going to rebel against the unjust law.' The verb 'rebelar-se' is reflexive, meaning the action reflects back on the subject.
This sentence means 'She doesn't want to rebel against her parents.' The structure 'não quer rebelar-se' indicates a negative desire.
This sentence means 'It's easy to rebel when there are no consequences.' 'É fácil' means 'It is easy', followed by the infinitive 'rebelar-se'.
This sentence describes citizens deciding to rebel against new laws. The correct order places 'Os cidadãos' (The citizens) first, followed by the verb 'decidiram' (decided) and the infinitive 'rebelar-se' (to rebel themselves), concluding with 'contra as novas leis' (against the new laws).
This sentence means 'He will not rebel so easily.' The order starts with 'Ele' (He), followed by the negative 'não vai' (will not go/will not) and the reflexive infinitive 'rebelar-se' (to rebel himself), ending with 'com tanta facilidade' (with such ease).
This sentence translates to 'The youth began to rebel for better conditions.' It starts with 'A juventude' (The youth), followed by 'começou a' (began to), then the reflexive infinitive 'rebelar-se' (to rebel themselves), and finally 'por melhores condições' (for better conditions).
This sentence describes the citizens' decision to revolt against an unfair new law, using 'rebelar-se' reflexively.
This sentence indicates the population started to rebel due to the prolonged economic crisis. 'Rebelar' is used here without a reflexive pronoun, common in certain contexts.
This sentence suggests that if there's no change, the people are likely to rebel against corruption, using 'se rebelar' reflexively.
/ 36 correct
Perfect score!
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