Portuguese Definite and Indefinite Articles – How and When to Use Them
Most languages do well without articles. In this sense, English and Romance languages like Portuguese belong to a minority.
I portoghesi definite articles – o, a, os, as – are the equivalent of the in English and we use them to designate specific nouns.
I portoghesi indefinite articles on the other hand – um, uma, uns, umas – correspond to the English article a/an; we use them to introduce and designate non-specific nouns.
Continuare a leggere.
Definite articles
Portuguese definite articles are the equivalent of the in English. We use them to designate specific nouns with which they agree in gender and number:
♀ | ♂ | |
singolare | a (a flor) | o (o jardim) |
plurale | as (as flores) | os (os jardins) |
Usage of the definite article
In general, definite articles designate specific things and living beings:
Eu não gosto muito de gatos, mas o teu gato é simplesmente irresistível. I am not so fond of cats, but your cat is simply irresistible. |
! One difference between europeo E brasiliano Portuguese is that the latter standard often skips definite articles. Learn more about how these two standards of Portuguese compare: Portoghese europeo e portoghese brasiliano: quanto sono davvero diversi?
With people’s names
As a rule of thumb, we use the definite article when referring to people:
Ontem vi a Joana. Yesterday, I saw Joana. O Pedro pareceu-me um pouco triste. Pedro looked a bit sad. |
Also with titles and formal forms of address:
Olá! I'm Pedro and I'm your Portuguese teacher.
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