O primeiro passo é simples.

O is the masculine singular definite article, equivalent to the.

It is used because passo (step) is a masculine singular noun:

• o passo = the step
• o primeiro passo = the first step

In Portuguese, articles usually need to match the noun’s gender and number.

Because passo is a masculine noun, the ordinal adjective must agree with it.

So:

• o primeiro passo = masculine singular
• a primeira etapa = feminine singular

This is a very common pattern in Portuguese: adjectives and ordinal numbers often change form to match the noun.

Primeiro is an ordinal number, meaning first.

It works like an adjective here because it describes the noun passo:

• primeiro passo = first step
• segundo passo = second step
• terceiro passo = third step

In Portuguese, ordinals usually come before the noun, especially in common expressions like this one.

The accent in é is very important.

• é = is (from the verb ser)
• e = and

So the accent shows that this is the verb, not the conjunction.

For example:

• O primeiro passo é simples. = The first step is simple.
• João e Maria = João and Maria

Portuguese has two common verbs for to be: ser and estar.

Here, é (from ser) is used because the sentence gives a general characteristic or description:

• O primeiro passo é simples. = The first step is simple.

If you used está, it would sound more like a temporary state or condition, which is not the usual idea here.

So:

• é simples = it is simple by nature / in general
• está simples = it is in a simple state right now (much less natural here)

Simples is one of those adjectives that usually does not change form for masculine vs. feminine.

So you get:

• o passo é simples
• a tarefa é simples

The form stays simples for both genders.

It is also the same in the plural in spelling:

• os passos são simples
• as tarefas são simples

So simples is a very convenient adjective because its form stays the same.

Good question. In Portuguese, many descriptive adjectives do come after the noun, but ordinal numbers like primeiro, segundo, terceiro normally come before it.

So:

• o primeiro passo
• o segundo capítulo
• a terceira opção

Meanwhile, many regular adjectives often come after:

• um passo simples
• uma tarefa difícil

In this sentence, primeiro comes before the noun because it is an ordinal, and simples appears after é because it is part of the predicate: is simple.

In normal standard Portuguese, O primeiro passo é simples is the natural full sentence.

Leaving out o would usually sound incomplete or unnatural in ordinary speech.

However, in headings, notes, instructions, or very compressed style, you might sometimes see article omission:

• Primeiro passo: ligar o aparelho.

But as a normal sentence, use:

• O primeiro passo é simples.

A simple Brazilian Portuguese approximation is:

oo pree-MAY-roh PAH-soh eh SEEM-plees

A few pronunciation notes:

• primeiro sounds roughly like pree-MAY-roh
• passo has a clear ss sound, like PAH-soh
• é sounds like eh
• simples is roughly SEEM-plees

In natural Brazilian speech, some sounds may be softer or slightly reduced depending on region.

Yes. Passo can mean:

• a physical step
• a stage in a process
• a pace in walking
• sometimes a dance step

In o primeiro passo, it usually means the first stage or first action in a process.

So this is a very common expression in explanations, tutorials, advice, and instructions.

The plural would be:

Os primeiros passos são simples.

Here is what changes:

• o → os
• primeiro → primeiros
• passo → passos
• é → são

But simples stays simples.

So:

• O primeiro passo é simples.
• Os primeiros passos são simples.