Passivo vs. obrigação
In the context of accounting, the Portuguese words passivo and obrigação both relate to a company's financial liabilities. However, they are not interchangeable, as passivo is a broad, all-encompassing technical term, while obrigação refers to a specific, individual duty or debt.
Passivo
B2Passivo is the broad accounting term that represents the total liabilities and shareholders' equity of a company. It is one of the main sections of a balance sheet (balanço patrimonial) and represents the total sources of a company's funds, including everything it owes to third parties (obrigações) and to its owners (património líquido).
O balanço patrimonial da empresa mostra que o ativo é maior que o passivo.
(The company's balance sheet shows that the assets are greater than the liabilities.)
Para entender a saúde financeira, analisamos a estrutura do passivo total.
(To understand the financial health, we analyze the structure of the total liabilities.)
A nova gestão tem como meta reduzir o passivo da empresa em 20% no próximo ano.
(The new management aims to reduce the company's liabilities by 20% next year.)
É importante distinguir entre o passivo circulante e o passivo não circulante.
(It is important to distinguish between current liabilities and non-current liabilities.)
Obrigação
B1Obrigação refers to a specific, individual financial duty or debt that a company must settle. It is a single component or line item that contributes to the total passivo. Think of it as one particular instance of a liability, such as a specific loan, an unpaid bill, or a tax payment.
O pagamento aos fornecedores é uma obrigação que vence no final do mês.
(The payment to suppliers is an obligation that is due at the end of the month.)
A empresa contraiu um empréstimo bancário, gerando uma nova obrigação financeira.
(The company took out a bank loan, creating a new financial obligation.)
Todas as obrigações fiscais foram declaradas e pagas dentro do prazo.
(All tax obligations were declared and paid on time.)
O departamento financeiro listou cada obrigação para planejar o fluxo de caixa.
(The finance department listed every single obligation to plan the cash flow.)
Summary
In essence, the key difference lies in their scope. Passivo is the entire accounting category that includes all of a company's debts and equity, as shown on the balance sheet. An obrigação is a single, concrete debt or duty (like a loan, an invoice, or a tax payment) that is counted within the total passivo. Therefore, the passivo is the sum of all obrigações (liabilities to third parties) plus the owners' equity.