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Questions & Answers about O carro está molhado.
Why is there an o before carro?
Portuguese generally uses definite articles before singular nouns even when speaking generically. O is the masculine singular definite article matching the gender of carro (“car”).
What does está mean here?
Está is the third-person singular present indicative of the verb estar, used to express temporary states or conditions. It translates to is in English.
Why is está used instead of é?
Portuguese has two verbs for “to be”: ser and estar.
- Estar (with está) indicates temporary states or conditions (like being wet).
- Ser (with é) indicates permanent characteristics or identities.
What is molhado and how does it function in the sentence?
Molhado is an adjective meaning wet. It derives from the past participle of the verb molhar (“to wet”) and describes the current condition of o carro.
Why is the adjective molhado placed after the noun?
In Portuguese, adjectives usually follow the nouns they modify. So molhado comes after carro to form the natural order O carro está molhado.
Why is molhado masculine?
Adjectives in Portuguese agree in gender and number with their nouns. Since carro is masculine singular, the adjective takes its masculine singular form molhado.
How do you pronounce molhado, especially the lh?
The digraph lh represents the palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/, similar to the “lli” in English million but smoother. So you say mo-ʎa-do.
Could you use a different verb to express the same idea?
Yes. You could say O carro ficou molhado, using ficar (“to become”) to indicate the resulting state: “The car became/ended up wet.” However, está molhado emphasizes its current condition.