A manhã está fria.

The morning is cold.

Breakdown of A manhã está fria.

• estar: to be
• frio: cold
• a manhã: the morning

Questions & Answers about A manhã está fria.

Why is manhã accompanied by the article A?

In Portuguese, manhã (morning) is a feminine noun, so it takes the feminine definite article a. For example, a manhã (the morning), a noite (the night), etc.

Why do we use está instead of é?

Estar generally indicates a temporary state or condition, while ser indicates a more permanent characteristic or identity. Since the sentence is describing the temporary condition of the morning (it is cold right now), we use está fria. If the sentence were describing a defining characteristic (though that would be unusual for time expressions like morning), you might see é. But in this case, está is preferred.

What’s the difference between frio and fria?

In Portuguese, adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe. Since manhã is feminine, the adjective must also be feminine: fria. If the noun were masculine (e.g., o dia / the day), we would use frio.

How do I pronounce manhã?

The nh in manhã is pronounced similarly to the 'ñ' in Spanish or the 'ny' sound in English words like “canyon.” The ã is a nasal sound, so you allow the air to resonate in your nose. A rough approximation might be ma-NYAN.

Is manhã used for both “morning” and “tomorrow”?

Yes, in Portuguese, manhã can mean “morning,” and amanhã (with the initial a placed before manhã) means “tomorrow.” They’re pronounced slightly differently and have distinct meanings: A manhã = “The morning,” but Amanhã = “Tomorrow.”