Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Este travesseiro é macio.

este / esta / estes / estas: this / these – close to the speaker
esse / essa / esses / essas: that / those – close to the listener or just mentioned
aquele / aquela / aqueles / aquelas: that / those over there – far from both speaker and listener

In Este travesseiro é macio, este is saying this pillow (near me).

But in Brazilian Portuguese, don’t people often use esse instead of este?

Yes. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, esse is extremely common and often used where grammar books would prefer este.

So in speech you will frequently hear:

Esse travesseiro é macio.

In most contexts in Brazil, este and esse here will be understood the same way. Este just sounds a bit more “bookish” or careful, but it’s perfectly correct.

Why is travesseiro masculine, and how do I know the gender of nouns like this?

Travesseiro (pillow) is a masculine noun. In Portuguese, every noun has grammatical gender (masculine or feminine), and it does not always follow logic.

Some patterns:

Many nouns ending in -o are masculine:
- travesseiro, gato, relógio
Many nouns ending in -a are feminine:
- caminha, mesa, almofada

But there are exceptions, so you usually learn the gender along with the noun.
Because travesseiro is masculine, any demonstratives and adjectives must agree:

este travesseiro (not esta travesseiro)
travesseiro macio (not travesseiro macia)

How do I pronounce travesseiro in Brazilian Portuguese?

Syllable division: tra-ves-sei-ro
Stress: on -sei- → tra-ves-SEI-ro

Approximate Brazilian pronunciation:

tra – like trah
ves – like vehz (but with an s sound, not z)
sei – like English say
ro – like ho or roh, depending on the accent

So overall, something like: trah-veh-SAY-ho / trah-veh-SAY-roh.

Details:

The ss in vesse is an /s/ sound, like s in see, never like z.
Final r in Brazilian Portuguese can sound like an English h (especially in Rio, São Paulo, etc.). In some regions it’s more like a soft r.

Why is it é macio and not está macio? What’s the difference?

Portuguese uses two verbs for to be: ser and estar.

In Este travesseiro é macio, é comes from ser.
Very simplified rule:

ser (é) → permanent or inherent characteristics
- Este travesseiro é macio. (It is a soft pillow by nature.)
estar (está) → temporary states or conditions
- O travesseiro está molhado. (The pillow is wet right now.)

Saying Este travesseiro está macio would suggest its softness is a temporary condition (for example, it used to be hard and now, after use or washing, it’s soft). In normal description, you’d say é macio.

What exactly does macio mean? Are there common synonyms?

Macio means soft to the touch, smooth, not hard or rough.

Common synonyms or close words:

fofo – fluffy, soft (often for pillows, stuffed animals, bread, etc.)
suave – gentle, mild, smooth (used also for flavors, voices, etc.)
macio – general physical softness (fabrics, cushions, surfaces, etc.)

You could say:

Este travesseiro é fofo. – This pillow is fluffy.
Este travesseiro é bem macio. – This pillow is really soft.

Does macio change for feminine and plural nouns?

Yes, adjectives in Portuguese agree with the gender and number of the noun.

Forms of macio:

Masculine singular: macio
- Este travesseiro é macio.
Feminine singular: macia
- Esta almofada é macia. – This cushion is soft.
Masculine plural: macios
- Estes travesseiros são macios. – These pillows are soft.
Feminine plural: macias
- Estas almofadas são macias. – These cushions are soft.

Can I change the word order? For example, O travesseiro é macio or Este travesseiro macio?

Yes, but the meaning or structure changes slightly.

O travesseiro é macio.
- Still correct.
- Now you’re talking about the pillow (some specific pillow already known from context), not necessarily pointing at it as this one.
- O is the definite article the.
Este travesseiro é macio.
- This pillow is soft. (You’re clearly indicating it.)
Este travesseiro macio (without é)
- This is just a noun phrase, not a full sentence: this soft pillow.
- You would use it inside a larger sentence:
  - Gosto deste travesseiro macio. – I like this soft pillow.

So:

With é macio → it’s a complete sentence.
Without é → just a description of the noun.

How do I say this sentence in the plural?

You need to make este, travesseiro, and macio all plural and keep them masculine:

Estes travesseiros são macios. – These pillows are soft.

Changes:

este → estes
travesseiro → travesseiros
é (singular) → são (plural of ser)
macio → macios

Can I add emphasis, like very soft or so soft?

Yes. Common ways to intensify macio:

muito macio – very soft
- Este travesseiro é muito macio.
bem macio – really/quite soft (very common in Brazil)
- Este travesseiro é bem macio.
tão macio – so soft
- Este travesseiro é tão macio!

All of these sound natural in Brazilian Portuguese.

Why is there no article (o) before este travesseiro?

In Portuguese, when you use a demonstrative like este, you normally don’t add an article before the noun:

Este travesseiro é macio. ✅
Not: O este travesseiro é macio. ❌

The demonstrative este already specifies the noun (this pillow), so you don’t need o.

With just the article, you’d say:

O travesseiro é macio. – The pillow is soft.

Is the sentence Este travesseiro é macio. formal, informal, or neutral?

It’s neutral.

You can use it in everyday conversation, in a store, at home, in writing, etc.
The vocabulary is simple and common.
There’s nothing slangy or overly formal about it.

It’s a good, standard, natural sentence for Brazilian Portuguese.