Este casaco é mais caro do que aquele carro.

to be

Breakdown of Este casaco é mais caro do que aquele carro.

• este: this
• o carro: the car
• o casaco: the coat
• do que: than
• mais caro: more expensive
• aquele: that

Questions & Answers about Este casaco é mais caro do que aquele carro.

Why is este used to refer to the coat instead of aquele or esse?

In Portuguese, este typically refers to something that is close to the speaker. Esse is used for something close to the listener, and aquele is used for something far from both the speaker and the listener. Since the coat is presumably near the speaker, este fits best.

Could I say mais caro que instead of mais caro do que?

In modern Brazilian Portuguese, it is standard and more common to use mais ... do que for comparisons. While some speakers might occasionally drop the do, using mais ... do que is considered the correct and preferable form in writing and formal contexts.

How do I know which form of “that” to use in Portuguese?

Portuguese has three main demonstratives for “that”: esse (near the listener), esse/a (higher frequency in spoken Brazilian Portuguese), and aquele (far from both speaker and listener). In this sentence, aquele is used because the car is presumably further away from both people talking (or in a more abstract sense, compared to where the coat is).

Are there any rules about adjective placement in Portuguese for caro?

Adjectives in Portuguese often follow the noun, so casaco caro is typically correct. However, it is also grammatical to place certain adjectives before the noun for emphasis or stylistic reasons. In this case, saying este casaco é caro is perfectly natural, and you place caro after é because it’s functioning as a predicate rather than directly modifying the noun.

Why do we use é instead of está?

É (from ser) indicates a characteristic or permanent/long-term state, such as being expensive by nature. Está (from estar) suggests a temporary condition. Since a coat being expensive is considered an inherent quality rather than a temporary state, é is used.