Questions & Answers about A cor do casaco é bonita.
In Portuguese, every noun has a grammatical gender, masculine or feminine.
- cor (color) is a feminine noun.
- The feminine singular definite article is a.
So you say:
- a cor = the color
- o casaco = the coat (because casaco is masculine)
That is why the sentence starts with A cor and not O cor.
do is a contraction of:
- de (of) + o (the, masculine singular)
So:
- de + o = do
Therefore:
- a cor do casaco = a cor de o casaco = the color of the coat
In normal Portuguese, you must use the contracted form (do, da, dos, das) and not keep de and the article separated.
Because casaco is a masculine noun:
- masculine singular article: o → de + o = do
- feminine singular article: a → de + a = da
Since casaco is masculine, you need do:
- do casaco = of the coat
- da camisa = of the shirt (because camisa is feminine)
Adjectives in Portuguese agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
In this sentence, the subject is:
- a cor (feminine singular)
So the adjective must also be feminine singular:
- cor bonita ✔
- cor bonito ✘ (incorrect)
Even though casaco is masculine, the adjective is describing cor, not casaco.
No, that would be grammatically wrong.
- The subject is a cor (feminine).
- The adjective must agree with cor, not casaco.
Correct options:
- A cor do casaco é bonita. ✔
- O casaco é bonito. ✔ (here the subject is o casaco, so bonito is correct)
They are close in meaning but not identical:
A cor do casaco é bonita.
- Focuses specifically on the color of the coat.
- Implies: maybe the style is nothing special, but the color is nice.
O casaco é bonito.
- Talks about the coat as a whole (style, look, maybe color too).
- More general compliment about the coat.
In English, this is similar to:
- The color of the coat is pretty vs. The coat is pretty.
Portuguese uses:
- ser (é) for more permanent or inherent characteristics.
- estar (está) for temporary states or conditions.
Color is usually considered a permanent characteristic of an object:
- A cor do casaco é bonita. ✔
The color (in general) is pretty.
Using está would suggest a temporary state, which sounds strange for a color in this context. You might hear está bonito/bonita more with things that can change quickly, like someone’s appearance today vs. another day.
No. In standard Portuguese you cannot omit é here.
You need the verb ser to link the subject and the adjective:
- A cor do casaco é bonita. ✔
- A cor do casaco bonita. ✘ (sounds incomplete/wrong)
Yes, but it sounds more literary or poetic, not like everyday speech.
- A cor bonita do casaco = also possible, more neutral but still a bit marked.
- In normal, natural speech, Brazilians most often say:
- A cor do casaco é bonita.
So A bonita cor do casaco is grammatically correct but stylistically unusual in casual conversation.
To negate é, you simply place não before the verb:
- A cor do casaco não é bonita.
= The color of the coat is not pretty.
Structure:
A cor do casaco + não + é + bonita.
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, you usually keep the same word order and change only your intonation:
- A cor do casaco é bonita?
(rising pitch at the end)
Written or more formal alternatives:
- A cor do casaco é bonita? (most common, even in writing)
- You don’t need to invert anything like in English; just add a question mark and use questioning intonation.
Approximate Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation (informal, simplified):
- A → like “ah”
- cor → like “kor” (with a throaty r)
- do → like “doo”
- casaco → ka-ZA-ko (stress on ZA)
- é → like “eh”
- bonita → bo-NEE-ta (stress on NEE; final a often sounds like a very light uh)
Put together, something like:
ah kor doo ka-ZA-ko eh bo-NEE-tuh
casaco is a general term for many kinds of outerwear: coat, jacket, cardigan, etc. Context usually clarifies what type.
Some related words:
- jaqueta – jacket (often shorter, like a casual or sports jacket)
- sobretudo – overcoat
- blusão – thick jacket / parka / windbreaker (context-dependent)
In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, people often use casaco for “coat” or “jacket” unless they need to be more specific.
You can definitely use other adjectives. bonita means pretty / beautiful, but you could say:
- A cor do casaco é linda. – The color of the coat is beautiful.
- A cor do casaco é feia. – The color of the coat is ugly.
- A cor do casaco é estranha. – The color of the coat is strange.
- A cor do casaco é diferente. – The color of the coat is different.
Just remember: whatever adjective you use must agree with cor (feminine singular), so it must be in the feminine singular form (bonita, linda, feia, etc.).