Questions & Answers about Os dois preços são iguais.
Why does the sentence start with os?
Os is the masculine plural definite article, meaning the.
It matches preços, which is a masculine plural noun:
- o preço = the price
- os preços = the prices
In Portuguese, articles are often used more than in English. Here, os dois preços means the two prices or both prices, referring to two specific prices already known in the context.
Why is it dois and not duas?
Why is preços plural, and why does it have ç?
The singular form is preço and the plural is preços.
The -s makes it plural, just like in many other Portuguese nouns.
The ç is there to keep the s sound before o:
- preço sounds roughly like PRESS-o
- if it were written preco, the c would sound like k
So ç is a spelling feature that preserves pronunciation.
Why is the verb são and not é?
Why is it iguais and not igual?
Because iguais is plural.
The adjective igual changes for number:
- igual = singular
- iguais = plural
So:
Unlike many Portuguese adjectives, igual does not change for masculine vs. feminine in the singular:
- o preço igual
- a tarifa igual
But in the plural, it becomes iguais for both:
- os preços iguais
- as tarifas iguais
What exactly does iguais mean here?
Here, iguais means equal or the same.
With prices, it usually means the amounts match:
- both prices have the same value
In English, you might translate it as:
- The two prices are equal.
- The two prices are the same.
Could I say os preços são os mesmos instead?
Yes, you could, but the nuance is slightly different.
- Os preços são iguais emphasizes that the prices are equal in value.
- Os preços são os mesmos means the prices are the same ones or the prices are the same, often with a stronger idea of exact identity or no change.
In many everyday situations, both are natural. But iguais is a very straightforward choice when talking about equal amounts.
Why is the word order os dois preços?
Can I leave out os and just say dois preços são iguais?
Grammatically, it is possible, but it changes the feel.
- Os dois preços são iguais sounds specific: the two prices
- Dois preços são iguais sounds less specific, more like two prices are equal
In most normal contexts, if you mean two particular prices being compared, os dois preços is the more natural choice.
Could I say ambos os preços são iguais?
How is Os dois preços são iguais pronounced in Brazilian Portuguese?
A rough pronunciation is:
ooz DOYSS PREH-soos sow ee-GWYESS
A few notes:
- os often sounds like ooz in connected speech
- dois rhymes roughly with voice (but shorter)
- preços has the stress on the first syllable: PREH-ços
- são is nasal; it does not sound exactly like English sow
- iguais sounds roughly like ee-GWYESS
A more IPA-style version is approximately: [uz dojs ˈpɾesus sɐ̃w iˈgwajs]
If the noun were feminine, what would change?
Is this sentence natural in everyday Brazilian Portuguese?
Yes, it is completely natural.
It is a simple, standard sentence that a Brazilian Portuguese speaker could easily say in real life, especially when comparing:
- prices
- costs
- values
- tickets
- products
For example, in a store or while shopping online, this would sound normal and clear.
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