O barulho é muito alto.

to be

Breakdown of O barulho é muito alto.

• muito: very
• o barulho: the noise

Questions & Answers about O barulho é muito alto.

Why do we say é instead of está here?

In Portuguese, é often implies a characteristic or a more permanent nature of something. Saying O barulho é muito alto suggests that the noise is inherently loud. If you use está, it implies a temporary state, such as O barulho está muito alto, meaning it’s currently loud but not necessarily always.

Why is alto in the masculine form?

Because barulho is a masculine noun (“o barulho”), adjectives that describe it use the masculine form. So we say muito alto instead of muito alta.

What is the difference between barulho and som in Portuguese?

Barulho often refers to a noise that is usually unpleasant or loud, whereas som is a more general term for any kind of sound, whether pleasant or not.

When do I use muito versus muita, muitos, and muitas?

Muito can act as an adverb (meaning “very”) and does not change for gender or number in that role, as in muito alto (“very loud”). However, if muito is used as an adjective or pronoun, it should match gender and number. For example: muitos barulhos (“many noises”), muita água (“a lot of water”).

Could I say O barulho é muito grande instead of alto?

Yes. Grande (“big”) can also describe the intensity of the noise, but alto more specifically indicates loudness. Saying muito grande might imply the noise is large in scope or volume but doesn't specifically target its pitch or loudness as directly as alto does.