I can describe a person's looks and a thing: put the adjective in the right gender and number, and in its place, after the noun.
What someone is like: alto, alta, altos, altas
What someone is like: alto, alta, altos, altas
An adjective agrees with its noun in gender and number: alto — alta, altos — altas. English adjectives never change; Portuguese ones do.
The ending types are in the first table. Words in -o change for gender: magro — magra. Words in -e don't change for gender, only for number: grande — grandes. Words in -l make the plural in -is: azul — azuis. Words in -ês have a feminine in -esa: português — portuguesa; words in -or work the same way: professor — professora.
Position: the adjective goes AFTER the noun: olhos azuis, cabelo curto. English puts the adjective first, and this is the main trap.
Nine adjectives can also go before the noun; they're listed in the second table: um bom livro and um livro bom are both correct.
The word muito before an adjective means “very” and never changes: muito alta, muito altos. Before a noun it means “many” and agrees with it: muitos livros, muitas casas.
Appearance is described with ser (a Inês é baixa) and with ter: tem olhos azuis, tem cabelo curto, as in English “she has short hair”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ele tem azuis olhos” → “Ele tem olhos azuis.”
• NOT “A Sofia é alto” → “A Sofia é alta.”
• NOT “As casas são pequeno” → “As casas são pequenas.”
• NOT “Ela é muitos alta” → “Ela é muito alta.”
How an adjective changes
Words ending in -e don't change for gender, only for number.
| Ending type | Masculine | Feminine | Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -o / -a | magro | magra | magros, magras | o rapaz magro |
| -e | grande | grande | grandes | a casa grande |
| -l → -is | azul | azul | azuis | os olhos azuis |
| -ês → -esa | português | portuguesa | portugueses, portuguesas | a cidade portuguesa |
| -or → -ora | professor | professora | professores, professoras | a professora portuguesa |
Nine adjectives that can also go before the noun
With them, “um bom livro” and “um livro bom” are equally correct. All the others go after the noun.
| Adjective | Translation |
|---|---|
| bom | good |
| mau | bad |
| grande | big |
| pequeno | small |
| novo | new |
| velho | old |
| único | only |
| próprio | own |
| pobre | poor |
Lesson notes
What someone is like: alto, alta, altos, altas
An adjective agrees with its noun in gender and number: alto — alta, altos — altas. English adjectives never change; Portuguese ones do.
The ending types are in the first table. Words in -o change for gender: magro — magra. Words in -e don't change for gender, only for number: grande — grandes. Words in -l make the plural in -is: azul — azuis. Words in -ês have a feminine in -esa: português — portuguesa; words in -or work the same way: professor — professora.
Position: the adjective goes AFTER the noun: olhos azuis, cabelo curto. English puts the adjective first, and this is the main trap.
Nine adjectives can also go before the noun; they're listed in the second table: um bom livro and um livro bom are both correct.
The word muito before an adjective means “very” and never changes: muito alta, muito altos. Before a noun it means “many” and agrees with it: muitos livros, muitas casas.
Appearance is described with ser (a Inês é baixa) and with ter: tem olhos azuis, tem cabelo curto, as in English “she has short hair”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ele tem azuis olhos” → “Ele tem olhos azuis.”
• NOT “A Sofia é alto” → “A Sofia é alta.”
• NOT “As casas são pequeno” → “As casas são pequenas.”
• NOT “Ela é muitos alta” → “Ela é muito alta.”