Definite articles — 'the'
| Article | Used with | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| o | masculine singular | o café | the coffee / café |
| a | feminine singular | a casa | the house |
| os | masculine plural | os hotéis | the hotels |
| as | feminine plural | as estações | the stations |
Portuguese uses "the" more often than English — with general concepts, names of meals, many place names, before first names, and with possessives: o pequeno-almoço (breakfast), o Porto (the city is literally "the Port"), a senhora, a Maria (Maria), o meu carro (my car).
Indefinite articles — 'a / some'
| Article | Used with | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| um | masculine singular | um café | a coffee |
| uma | feminine singular | uma mesa | a table |
| uns | masculine plural | uns bilhetes | some tickets |
| umas | feminine plural | umas cervejas | some beers |
Which gender? Useful rules of thumb
- Words ending in -o are usually masculine: o livro, o carro, o vinho.
- Words ending in -a are usually feminine: a casa, a mesa, a cerveja.
- Words ending in -agem are feminine: a viagem, a paragem, a mensagem.
- Words ending in -ção are feminine: a estação, a atenção, a refeição.
- Words ending in -dade are feminine: a cidade, a verdade.
- Words ending in -or are usually masculine: o amor, o calor, o motor. Watch three common feminine exceptions: a dor (pain), a cor (colour), a flor (flower).
Common exceptions to memorise
| Noun | Expected? | Actually | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| o dia | looks feminine (-a?) | masculine (exception) | the day |
| a mão | -ão often masculine-ish? | feminine | the hand |
| o mapa | ends in -a | masculine | the map |
| o problema | ends in -a | masculine (Greek-origin -ma) | the problem |
| o programa | ends in -a | masculine | the programme |
| a tribo | ends in -o | feminine | the tribe |
| o planeta | ends in -a | masculine | the planet |
People words follow natural gender where both forms exist: o amigo / a amiga, o rapaz / a rapariga, o professor / a professora.
High-frequency pairs to memorise now
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| o café | the café / coffee |
| a casa | the house |
| o hotel | the hotel |
| a estação | the station |
| o comboio | the train |
| a paragem | the (bus/tram) stop |
| o bilhete | the ticket |
| a conta | the bill |
| o aeroporto | the airport |
| a casa de banho | the bathroom |
Mini practice
Q1. 'the station' in Portuguese is…
- o estação
- a estação
- os estação
Answer: a estação
Q2. Words ending in -ção are…
- masculine
- feminine
- either
Answer: feminine
Q3. 'a coffee' (indefinite) is…
- uma café
- um café
- a café
Answer: um café
Q4. Which is correct?
- o casa
- a mesa
- uma hotel
Answer: a mesa
Q5. The best way to memorise nouns is…
- noun alone
- article + noun together
- noun + English
Answer: article + noun together
