Gênero e artigos: o / a
Gênero e artigos: o / a means “Every noun is masculine or feminine; the article o/a agrees with it”. In Portuguese every noun carries a gender. Formation: o + substantivo (masc.) · a + substantivo (fem.) — plural: os / as
Every noun is masculine or feminine; the article o/a agrees with it
A1Formation
o + substantivo (masc.) · a + substantivo (fem.) — plural: os / as
Explanation
In Portuguese every noun carries a gender. As a rough guide, nouns ending in -o are usually masculine (o livro) and those ending in -a are usually feminine (a casa), but there are plenty of exceptions: o dia, o problema, o mapa are masculine; a mão, a foto are feminine. Learn each noun together with its article — that way the gender is stored with the word. Note also that Portuguese uses the article far more than English: it appears before possessives (o meu carro) and, in Brazil, commonly before people's names (a Maria chegou).
Examples
Note
Watch out: criança (child) is always feminine — a criança — even when the child is a boy.
FAQ
Gênero e artigos: o / a — what does it mean and how is it used?
Every noun is masculine or feminine; the article o/a agrees with it. In Portuguese every noun carries a gender. As a rough guide, nouns ending in -o are usually masculine (o livro) and those ending in -a are usually feminine (a casa), but there are plenty of exceptions: o dia, o problema, o mapa are masculine; a mão, a foto are feminine. Learn each noun together with its article — that way the gender is stored with the word. Note also that Portuguese uses the article far more than English: it appears before possessives (o meu carro) and, in Brazil, commonly before people's names (a Maria chegou).
Gênero e artigos: o / a — how do you form it?
o + substantivo (masc.) · a + substantivo (fem.) — plural: os / as
Gênero e artigos: o / a — any usage notes?
Watch out: criança (child) is always feminine — a criança — even when the child is a boy.