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Questions & Answers about Nossa casa é bonita.
Why is it nossa instead of nosso?
In Portuguese, adjectives and possessive pronouns must agree with the gender (and number) of the noun they modify. Casa is a feminine noun, so you use nossa (feminine form) rather than nosso (masculine form).
Why is bonita used instead of bonito?
Similar to (nossa), the adjective bonita agrees with the feminine noun casa. If the noun were masculine, you would use bonito (for instance, o carro é bonito).
Why do we say é and not está?
In Portuguese, é (from the verb ser) often indicates a more permanent or characteristic trait, while está (from the verb estar) points to a temporary or changing condition. Describing the house as bonita (beautiful) tends to be perceived as a characteristic rather than something temporary, so é is used.
Is casa always feminine?
Yes, casa in Portuguese is always a feminine noun. Other words for places to live or types of homes can have different genders (like apartamento, which is masculine), but casa is consistently feminine.
Do I need to say nossa casa every time, or can I just say casa?
You can simply say casa if the context makes it clear you’re talking about your own house. However, including nossa emphasizes ownership. For instance, if someone asks "Onde vocês moram?" ("Where do you live?"), you could answer Moramos em uma casa ("We live in a house") or Nossa casa fica em... ("Our house is located in...").
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