Portuguese Year 2: Nouns, articles and adjectives: feminine and plural
Portuguese, Year 2 (Portugal): The words that name, the little words before them and the words that describe: how they change from masculine to feminine and from one to many.
Naming, introducing and describing
The noun (nome) names people, animals, things and places. There are proper nouns («Rui», «Lisboa», «Tejo»: written with a capital letter) and common nouns («menino», boy; «cidade», city; «rio», river). The article comes before the noun: o, a, os, as, um, uma. The adjective says what something is like: «uma casa pequena» (a small house). These words change form in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (one or many), and they agree: «o gato preto» (the black cat), «as gatas pretas» (the black cats).
Agreeing makes the sentence right
If you say «o gata bonito» or «as gato pretas», anyone feels it is wrong: the article and the adjective must have the same gender and number as the noun. Knowing how to form the feminine and the plural helps you write and speak well. And recognising these word classes is the first step to understanding how words work inside a sentence.
From the black cat to the black cats
Step 1, classify «o gato preto»: «o» is an article, «gato» a common noun, «preto» an adjective. Step 2, feminine: change -o to -a: «a gata preta». Step 3, plural: add -s: «os gatos pretos», «as gatas pretas». Step 4, other feminines: «professor → professora» (add -a); «pai → mãe» (father, mother) and «rei → rainha» (king, queen) are different words; «o colega → a colega» does not change. Step 5, other plurals: «animal → animais», «flor → flores», «limão → limões».
Rules that do not always work
Many people always add -s for the plural and -a for the feminine, but it is not always so. «Animal» does not make «animals», it makes «animais»; «mão» (hand) makes «mãos», but «pão» (bread) makes «pães»; «lápis» (pencil) stays the same. And some words do not change in the feminine: «o estudante / a estudante», and adjectives like «feliz» (happy): «um menino feliz, uma menina feliz». When in doubt, say the word in a sentence, or look it up in the dictionary.
Where you hear and see these changes
Whenever you speak: «o meu irmão e a minha irmã» (my brother and my sister), «dois cães e três gatas» (two dogs and three female cats). On labels and lists: «maçãs verdes» (green apples), «flores amarelas» (yellow flowers). In a story, the adjective tells what a character is like: «uma menina corajosa» (a brave girl).
Test what you learned
Which of these words is a proper noun (nome próprio)?
- a) «menino» (boy)
- b) «rio» (river)
- c) «Tejo» (the river Tagus)
Correct answer: c) «Tejo» (the river Tagus) — Yes: it names one particular river and is written with a capital letter.
Put «o professor bonito» (the handsome teacher) in the feminine. Which is right?
- a) «a professor bonita»
- b) «a professora bonita»
- c) «a professora bonito»
Correct answer: b) «a professora bonita» — Right: article, noun and adjective all take the feminine form.
What is the plural of «animal»?
- a) «animais»
- b) «animals»
- c) «animaes»
Correct answer: a) «animais» — Yes: words ending in -al change to -ais («animal → animais», «jornal → jornais»).
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