English uses two words for what Portuguese packs into one. An other book (a second one of the same kind) and the other book (the one that's not this one) — both map to outro livro and o outro livro respectively. But there is a subtlety that English speakers miss: Portuguese usually does not use the indefinite article with outro. Where English says an other, another with an embedded "an," Portuguese simply says outro, on the grounds that outro is already indefinite by nature. This page lays out the forms, the positions, the contractions, and the family of idiomatic expressions built on outro.
Forms
Outro agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies:
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | outro | outra |
| Plural | outros | outras |
Quero outro café, por favor.
I'd like another coffee, please.
Tens outra caneta? Esta não escreve.
Do you have another pen? This one doesn't write.
Outros amigos já chegaram.
Other friends have already arrived.
Tenho outras ideias para o jantar.
I have other ideas for dinner.
The agreement pattern is straightforward: match the gender and number of the noun. The real complexity of outro lies in its combinations with articles.
Outro without an indefinite article — "another"
Here is the most important fact about outro: when it means another (indefinite), you do not need to add um/uma. The word outro is already inherently indefinite, and Portuguese would consider um outro livro mildly redundant in most contexts — though not outright wrong.
Dá-me outro exemplo.
Give me another example.
Queres outra bebida?
Would you like another drink?
Precisamos de outra solução.
We need another solution.
Ela comprou outro telemóvel.
She bought another mobile phone.
English learners, drawing on an+other → another, instinctively reach for um outro. That phrase exists and is grammatical, but in ordinary PT-PT it sounds slightly heavier than bare outro. Reserve um outro / uma outra for cases where you want to mildly emphasise the addition: dá-me um outro exemplo, "give me yet another example."
Dá-me um outro exemplo, por favor.
Give me yet another example, please. (mild emphasis — perfectly grammatical)
O outro / a outra / os outros / as outras — "the other"
With the definite article, outro means the other (one) — the one already contrasted with something else.
O outro livro é mais interessante.
The other book is more interesting.
A outra sala está ocupada.
The other room is taken.
Os outros alunos já saíram.
The other students have already left.
As outras cadeiras estão na cave.
The other chairs are in the basement.
The same phrase without a noun becomes a pronoun — "the other one":
Este é bom; o outro é melhor.
This one is good; the other one is better.
Uma vai de carro, a outra vai de comboio.
One goes by car, the other goes by train.
Os outros ficaram em casa.
The others stayed home.
This "headless" use — outro standing alone after an article — is very productive in Portuguese. It takes the gender and number of whatever noun was previously mentioned or implied.
Contractions with em and de — optional but common
Outro combines with the prepositions em and de to form contractions: noutro, noutra, noutros, noutras and doutro, doutra, doutros, doutras. In PT-PT these contractions are optional — both the contracted and uncontracted forms are acceptable and common, though the contracted forms are more frequent in writing and formal speech.
| Preposition |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| em | noutro | noutra | noutros | noutras |
| de | doutro | doutra | doutros | doutras |
Moramos noutra cidade agora.
We live in another city now.
Noutro dia continuamos esta conversa.
Another day we'll continue this conversation.
Vem de outro país.
She comes from another country. (uncontracted — also fine)
Vem doutro país.
She comes from another country. (contracted — very common)
Falámos sobre isso noutras ocasiões.
We talked about that on other occasions.
The contractions with em and de are parallel to nalguns, noutros and dalguns, doutros (see Indefinite Determiners). Unlike the contractions of em + o → no or de + a → da, which are mandatory, these ones are optional. Both written and spoken PT-PT accept either form, though noutro and doutro are slightly more common in current usage.
Outros + numeral — "another two, another three"
Outros/outras combines directly with cardinal numerals to mean another two, another three, and so on.
Preciso de outros dois dias para acabar.
I need another two days to finish.
Convidou outras três amigas para jantar.
She invited another three friends for dinner.
Faltam outros cinco quilómetros.
There are another five kilometres to go.
Passaram outras duas semanas até o ver.
Another two weeks passed until I saw him.
Notice that outros still agrees with the noun: outros dois dias (masculine) but outras três amigas (feminine). The numeral itself is mostly invariable except for dois/duas, ambos/ambas, duzentos/duzentas, etc.
Pronominal outro — standing alone
Outro often drops the noun and stands alone as a pronoun, picking up the gender and number from context.
Este copo está partido — traz outro.
This glass is broken — bring another (one).
Esta camisa não me serve — queres provar outra?
This shirt doesn't fit me — do you want to try another?
Alguns gostam de praia, outros preferem montanha.
Some like the beach, others prefer the mountains.
Uns aplaudiam, outros assobiavam.
Some applauded, others whistled.
The pair uns... outros / umas... outras is the standard way to express some... others — a contrast between two groups drawn from the same set.
Position with possessives
When outro combines with a possessive, outro goes after the possessive:
Tens o meu outro casaco?
Do you have my other coat?
Estou à espera da minha outra irmã.
I'm waiting for my other sister.
Os meus outros amigos já foram embora.
My other friends have already left.
The order is fixed: article + possessive + outro + noun. Reversing to outro o meu casaco is ungrammatical.
Idiomatic expressions with outro
Outro participates in a rich set of fixed expressions. Learn them as units — the meanings are often only loosely compositional.
Time expressions
Outro dia vi a tua irmã no mercado.
The other day I saw your sister at the market.
No outro dia fomos à praia.
The next day / the other day we went to the beach.
Dia sim, dia não, vou ao ginásio.
Every other day I go to the gym. (lit. 'day yes, day no')
De dois em dois dias, ela faz yoga.
Every other day, she does yoga.
Portuguese prefers dia sim, dia não or de dois em dois dias over a literal todos os outros dias, which is not idiomatic.
Logical pairings
Uma coisa ou outra, temos de decidir.
One thing or another, we have to decide.
Um ou outro pode vir — não é preciso toda a gente.
One or another can come — not everyone is needed.
Uns e outros pagaram a sua parte.
Some and others paid their share. (everyone did)
De uma forma ou de outra, havemos de encontrar uma solução.
One way or another, we'll find a solution.
Spatial and manner expressions
De um lado para o outro, ele não parava quieto.
From one side to the other, he wouldn't keep still.
Podemos fazer isso de outra maneira.
We can do this another way.
De outro modo, não conseguiríamos.
Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to.
Por outro lado, o preço é alto.
On the other hand, the price is high.
Por outras palavras, vamos ter de adiar.
In other words, we're going to have to postpone.
Reciprocal um ao outro
There is no direct Portuguese equivalent of English each other as a single word. Instead, Portuguese uses um ao outro (for two) or uns aos outros (for more than two) — agreeing in gender and number with the subjects — alongside the reciprocal pronoun -se.
Os dois irmãos ajudam-se um ao outro.
The two brothers help each other.
As crianças olhavam umas para as outras.
The children were looking at each other.
Os colegas cumprimentaram-se uns aos outros.
The colleagues greeted each other.
Eles escreviam cartas um ao outro todos os meses.
They used to write letters to each other every month.
Outro vs. diferente vs. novo — choosing between "other" and "different" and "new"
Three words in the same semantic space, with distinct meanings:
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| outro | another of the same type / a different one | outro livro (another book — a different one) |
| diferente | different (qualitatively distinct) | um livro diferente (a different book — qualitatively unlike the first) |
| novo | new (recently acquired or just emerged) | um livro novo (a new book — not yet read, recently published) |
Quero outro livro.
I want another book. (perhaps the same author, just not this one)
Quero um livro diferente.
I want a different book. (qualitatively unlike this one)
Quero um livro novo.
I want a new book. (recently published or not yet read)
These distinctions matter. English uses another and different somewhat loosely; Portuguese keeps them sharper.
Comparison with Spanish and English
Portuguese and Spanish share most outro/otro behaviour, including the optional un otro / un outro. Two PT-PT features stand out:
- Contractions: noutro, doutro are standard in PT-PT. Spanish has no contraction parallel.
- With possessives: o meu outro amigo — article required before possessive (see Possessives with Articles). Spanish would simply say mi otro amigo.
Against English:
- English another fuses an + other, so learners reflexively insert um before outro. Resist.
- English the other one uses the dummy one; Portuguese just says o outro — no dummy needed.
- English each other / one another — Portuguese uses um ao outro, uns aos outros, or reciprocal pronouns (-se).
Common Mistakes
❌ Quero um outro café.
Not incorrect, but redundant — simpler is just 'outro café'.
✅ Quero outro café.
I'd like another coffee.
❌ Em outro dia, falamos.
Not wrong, but uncontracted — in PT-PT, 'noutro' is more common.
✅ Noutro dia, falamos.
Another day, we'll talk.
❌ Eles ajudam-se cada outro.
Not idiomatic — for 'each other', use 'um ao outro' or reciprocal '-se'.
✅ Eles ajudam-se um ao outro.
They help each other.
❌ Tenho dois outros livros.
Wrong order — the numeral comes after 'outros', not before. Portuguese says 'outros dois', not '*dois outros'.
✅ Tenho outros dois livros que te posso emprestar.
I have another two books I can lend you.
❌ Outro o meu amigo chegou.
Wrong order — possessive comes before 'outro'.
✅ O meu outro amigo chegou.
My other friend arrived.
❌ Queres uma outra bebida diferente?
Overloaded — 'outra' and 'diferente' together are redundant unless you want strong emphasis.
✅ Queres outra bebida?
Would you like another drink?
✅ Queres uma bebida diferente?
Would you like a different drink? (qualitatively unlike the first)
Key Takeaways
- Outro agrees in gender and number: outro, outra, outros, outras.
- Default: no indefinite article. Say outro livro, not um outro livro — the longer form is grammatical but marked for emphasis.
- With definite article: o outro, a outra, os outros, as outras = the other (one), the others.
- Contractions with em and de are optional in PT-PT: noutro, noutra, doutro, doutra — all common in writing and speech.
- With numerals: outros dois, outras três = another two, another three.
- With possessives: possessive goes first — o meu outro amigo, not outro o meu amigo.
- As a pronoun, outro stands alone and picks up the noun's gender and number from context.
- Reciprocal "each other": um ao outro, uns aos outros, or the reciprocal pronoun -se.
- Idioms to memorise: por outro lado (on the other hand), por outras palavras (in other words), de outra maneira (another way), noutro dia (another day), uns... outros (some... others).
- Distinguish from diferente (qualitatively unlike) and novo (newly acquired) — all three translate loosely as "other/different/new" in English, but Portuguese keeps them distinct.
Related Topics
- Determiners in Portuguese: An OverviewA1 — What determiners are, the families of determiners in European Portuguese, and how they combine with nouns — a map of the group.
- Indefinite Determiners: algum, nenhum, qualquer, cada, todo, vário, certoA2 — A guided tour of the Portuguese indefinite determiners — words that quantify or identify without being definite: algum, nenhum, qualquer, cada, todo, vário, certo, muito, pouco, outro, mesmo, tanto, and the todo/tudo distinction.
- The Indefinite Article: Forms and UsesA1 — The four forms of the Portuguese indefinite article (um, uma, uns, umas), their uses for introducing new referents, and where Portuguese drops the article that English keeps.
- The Definite Article: Forms and Basic UsesA1 — The four forms of the Portuguese definite article (o, a, os, as) and the contexts where European Portuguese requires it — including several where English leaves it out.
- Indefinite Pronouns (Alguém, Ninguém, Algo, Nada, Tudo)A2 — Referring to unspecified people and things — someone, no one, something, nothing, everything