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O gato não é lento, ele é muito rápido.

O gato não é lento, ele é muito rápido.
The cat is not slow; he is very fast.
FromLesson 2inHardcore Portuguese (Brazil)

Breakdown of O gato não é lento, ele é muito rápido.

ser
to be
o gato
the cat
não
not
rápido
fast
lento
slow
ele
he
muito
very

Questions & Answers about O gato não é lento, ele é muito rápido.

Why is the word 'não' placed before 'é'?
In Portuguese, não (meaning not) generally comes directly before the verb it negates. Here, não é literally means is not. Placing não before é negates the verb to be, communicating that the cat is not slow.
How do I know when to use 'lento' vs. 'devagar'?
While both can mean slow, lento is usually used as an adjective describing a noun’s characteristic (e.g., O gato é lento). Devagar can function as an adverb describing the manner in which someone or something moves (e.g., O gato anda devagar). However, in everyday speech, people might use them somewhat interchangeably.
Why do we use 'ele' here instead of repeating 'gato'?
In Portuguese, ele (he) is a pronoun that replaces a masculine singular noun already mentioned. Since gato is masculine singular, you can substitute ele to avoid repeating gato in the same sentence.
Is 'muito rápido' just an equivalent of 'very fast'?
Yes, muito rápido directly translates to very fast. Muito here emphasizes the quality of speed conveyed by rápido.
Could I say 'O gato não é lento; ele é rápido' without 'muito'?
Certainly! Muito adds emphasis, but it’s not mandatory. Saying O gato não é lento; ele é rápido is perfectly correct and still conveys that the cat is fast, just without the additional emphasis on very.
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