I can show I know the whole module: article and gender, the plural, jobs with and without the article, three conjugations in the present tense, and questions with “é que”.
What we review
What we review
The module is done: time to check that it all holds. There are no new rules here, only six reminders.
• A noun comes with its article, and gender comes with the word: o livro, a mesa, o problema.
• Plural: after a vowel +s; after -r, -z, and a stressed -s +es; -l becomes -is, -m becomes -ns, -ão becomes -ões; but pão, cão, and alemão take -ães, and mão, irmão, and cidadão take -ãos.
• A job after ser takes no article; with a description, the article comes back.
• -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -am. The subject is usually left out.
• -er and -ir verbs differ only in the nós form: -emos and -imos; fazer, dar, dizer, trazer, and pôr have an irregular eu form; for dormir, the eu form is durmo.
• A yes/no question is made by intonation; with é que the word order stays normal, and without é que the subject goes after the verb.
Gender by ending and the definite article
A noun is learned with its article: the article is the gender label.
| Ending | Gender | Article | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -o | masculine | o | o caderno |
| -a | feminine | a | a caneta |
| -e and a consonant | depends on the word | o or a | a chave, o computador |
| -agem, -dade | feminine | a | a viagem, a idade |
| -ma | masculine | o | o problema |
| -a in a few words | masculine | o | o dia, o mapa |
The plural: five rules
The article always changes, even when the word itself doesn't.
| Word ending | What happens | Example |
|---|---|---|
| vowel | add -s | o livro → os livros |
| -r, -z, stressed -s | add -es | o rapaz → os rapazes, a mulher → as mulheres |
| -l | drop -l, add -is | o animal → os animais |
| -m | -m becomes -ns | o homem → os homens |
| unstressed -s | the word doesn't change | o lápis → os lápis |
Lesson notes
What we review
The module is done: time to check that it all holds. There are no new rules here, only six reminders.
• A noun comes with its article, and gender comes with the word: o livro, a mesa, o problema.
• Plural: after a vowel +s; after -r, -z, and a stressed -s +es; -l becomes -is, -m becomes -ns, -ão becomes -ões; but pão, cão, and alemão take -ães, and mão, irmão, and cidadão take -ãos.
• A job after ser takes no article; with a description, the article comes back.
• -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -am. The subject is usually left out.
• -er and -ir verbs differ only in the nós form: -emos and -imos; fazer, dar, dizer, trazer, and pôr have an irregular eu form; for dormir, the eu form is durmo.
• A yes/no question is made by intonation; with é que the word order stays normal, and without é que the subject goes after the verb.