A1 · The article
Definite article: o, a, os, as
Topic 6 of 133 · about 4 minutes
Your goal
You can pick the right definite article before every noun — o, a, os or as.
O comboio das oito está atrasado.The eight o'clock train is late.
As chaves estão na mesa.The keys are on the table.
A mão direita dói.My right hand hurts.
Done at 8 of 10 · about 4 min
Explainer video
Watch first – then practise
The essentials
RememberA noun is learnt together with its article.
Four forms, and nothing about the next word decides which — only the noun's own gender.
- Signal words
- o
- a
- os
- as
The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese.
| the book | o livro |
| the house | a casa |
| the books | os livros |
| the houses | as casas |
| the friend, a man | o amigo |
| the friend, a woman | a amiga |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
The article follows gender and number, not the sound that comes next.
O amigo e a amiga chegaram.The two friends have arrived.
Nothing is shortened before a vowel.
A água está fria.The water is cold.
The ending usually gives the gender away.
O carro é novo.The car is new.
More rules (1)
The common exceptions are learnt one by one.
O problema é o mapa.The problem is the map.
Example sentences
1 more example sentences
Os problemas são dois.There are two problems.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The Greek words in -ma are masculine although they end in -a: o problema, o programa, o sistema, o tema. Add o dia and o mapa. It is a short list of very frequent words, which is the worst combination an exception can have — you meet them before you have learnt the rule they break, and every one of them looks feminine.
Lesson
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
O before a masculine singular, a before a feminine one, os and as in the plural. Unlike several of its neighbours, Portuguese never lets the sound of the following word have a say.
Nothing is shortened before a vowel either: o amigo, a amiga — no apostrophe, no elision. English does something comparable with « a » and « an » and would expect a rule here; there is none.
The gender is usually written in the ending: -omasculine-afeminine The exceptions are few and extremely common — o dia, o mapa, o problema, a mão.
Which is why a noun is learnt with its article rather than on its own. English gives you no reason to do that and nothing to hang it on, so it has to be a deliberate habit from the first word: not « book » but o livro.
The verbs on this page, in every form: estar · ser · chegar
Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
Words you will need16
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- o amigothe friend (male)
- a amigathe friend (female)
- a águathe water
- novoyoung, new
- o problemathe problem
- o mapathe map
- o comboiothe train
- oitoeight
- atrasadolate, delayed
- a chavethe key
- a mesathe table
- a mãothe hand
- direitoright (side)
- doerto hurt
- grandebig
- bonitobeautiful
Practise as flashcards · 1Practise as flashcards · 2
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