A sala é bonita.

to be

Breakdown of A sala é bonita.

• bonito: beautiful
• a sala: the living room

Questions & Answers about A sala é bonita.

Why does the sentence use A instead of O, um, or uma?

In Portuguese, sala (meaning “room”) is a feminine noun, and we need to use the definite article a to match its gender. O sala would be incorrect because o is used for masculine nouns. Um and uma mean “a” or “one,” indicating an indefinite article rather than a definite one.

Why is é used instead of está in this sentence?

The verb ser (conjugated here as é) is often used for more permanent or characteristic descriptions, such as someone or something being inherently beautiful. The verb estar is usually used for states or conditions that are more temporary. In this case, A sala é bonita suggests that the room is inherently or generally beautiful.

Why is bonita in the feminine form rather than bonito?

In Portuguese, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since sala is feminine and singular, the adjective bonita must also be feminine and singular to match. If you were describing a masculine noun, you would use bonito instead.

Could I say A sala é linda instead of A sala é bonita?

Yes. Linda also means “beautiful” and is often used interchangeably with bonita. The difference is subtle and can be based on preference or context. In everyday speech, both bonita and linda would be understood and commonly used to mean the room looks beautiful.

Is there a contraction in Portuguese for em + a when talking about the room?

Yes. When em (meaning “in” or “on”) is followed by the feminine article a, it contracts to na. For example, to say “in the room,” you would say na sala (instead of em a sala). This is a common feature of Portuguese: em + o becomes no and em + a becomes na.