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Questions & Answers about Eu estou cansado.
Why do we use estou instead of sou here?
In Portuguese, ser (sou) generally refers to permanent or long-lasting states (like personality traits or nationality), whereas estar (estou) describes temporary states, conditions, or feelings—like being tired in this moment.
What is the difference between cansado and cansada?
Portuguese is a gendered language, so adjectives need to match the grammatical gender of the speaker. A male speaker (or someone using masculine forms) would say cansado; a female speaker (or someone using feminine forms) would say cansada.
Why do we include the pronoun Eu in Eu estou cansado?
It’s common in Portuguese to omit the subject pronoun because the verb form already indicates who’s speaking (for example, estou = “I am”). People often say Estou cansado without Eu, and it’s still correct. Including Eu can add a slightly more emphatic or explicit tone.
What’s the difference between Eu estou cansado and the slang form Tô cansado?
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, tô is a contracted, more casual form of estou. You’ll hear it frequently, especially in informal conversation. Grammatically, it’s an accepted colloquial usage but is best avoided in formal writing.
Why would someone say Eu estou cansado, instead of Eu estou com sono?
Cansado indicates a general feeling of tiredness or exhaustion, while com sono means specifically “sleepy,” suggesting a desire to sleep. Contextually, cansado can happen after exercise or a long day, whereas com sono implies needing rest or sleep.
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