O aplauso é forte quando o ator é engraçado.

The applause is loud when the actor is funny.

Breakdown of O aplauso é forte quando o ator é engraçado.

• ser: to be
• o: the
• quando: when
• engraçado: funny
• aplauso: applause
• forte: loud
• ator: actor

Questions & Answers about O aplauso é forte quando o ator é engraçado.

Why does the sentence start with O aplauso and not just Aplauso?

In Portuguese, singular countable nouns almost always need an article (o, a, um, uma), even when English doesn’t use one.

• O aplauso ≈ the applause
• Saying just Aplauso é forte sounds incomplete or unnatural in Portuguese.

Even when making a general statement (not about any specific applause), Portuguese still tends to use the definite article:

• O aplauso é forte quando… = In general, applause is strong when…

Why is it o aplauso (masculine) and not feminine?

Every noun in Portuguese has grammatical gender that you just have to learn with the word.

• o aplauso – masculine (singular)
• os aplausos – masculine (plural)

There’s no logical reason it’s masculine; it’s simply how the word entered the language. You must memorize it with its article:

• o aplauso (the applause)

Why is it é forte and not está forte?

This is the ser vs. estar difference.

• é forte (with ser) suggests a general, characteristic situation:
  Applause is (characteristically) strong when the actor is funny.
• está forte (with estar) would describe a temporary state right now:
  The applause is strong (at this moment).

In this sentence, we’re talking about what usually happens when the actor is funny, so é forte is the natural choice.

What exactly does forte mean here? Could I say alto instead?

Forte literally means strong, but it’s widely used for intensity, including sound:

• um aplauso forte = strong / loud applause
• um cheiro forte = strong smell
• uma luz forte = strong / bright light

You can use alto for loudness (e.g. um som alto, uma voz alta), but for applause, the common collocation is:

• um aplauso forte
• aplausos fortes

Um aplauso alto is grammatically possible but sounds odd to most native speakers.

Why is it o ator and not a atriz? How would I say it for a woman?

O ator is the actor (male). For a female actor you’d say:

• a atriz é engraçada – the actress is funny

So you could change the whole sentence to:

• O aplauso é forte quando a atriz é engraçada.

Some gender-neutral options people may use are:

• a pessoa atriz (used in some more progressive contexts)
• o artista / a artista (the artist, performer)
• o intérprete / a intérprete (the performer/interpreter)

Can I change the order and say Quando o ator é engraçado, o aplauso é forte?

Yes, perfectly. Both orders are correct:

• O aplauso é forte quando o ator é engraçado.
• Quando o ator é engraçado, o aplauso é forte.

The only difference is style and emphasis:

• Starting with Quando… emphasizes the condition/time first.
• Starting with O aplauso… emphasizes the result first.

Note: When the quando clause comes first, you normally add a comma:

• Quando o ator é engraçado, o aplauso é forte.

What does engraçado really mean? Is it always “funny”?

Most commonly, engraçado = funny (makes you laugh):

• O ator é engraçado. – The actor is funny.

However, in some contexts it can mean weird / odd / strange, especially in exclamations:

• Que engraçado! – How funny / That’s odd / That’s weird (depends on tone)
• Ele é meio engraçado. – He’s kind of weird / odd (could be negative or neutral).

Other related words:

• cômico – comical (more formal/literary)
• divertido – entertaining, fun (may or may not be laugh-out-loud funny)

Why does forte not change form, but engraçado does?

In Portuguese, many adjectives change for gender and number, but some have only two forms (singular and plural).

• forte

  • masculine singular: forte – o aplauso é forte
  • feminine singular: forte – a voz é forte
  • masculine/feminine plural: fortes – os aplausos são fortes, as vozes são fortes

• engraçado

  • masculine singular: engraçado – o ator é engraçado
  • feminine singular: engraçada – a atriz é engraçada
  • masculine plural: engraçados – os atores são engraçados
  • feminine plural: engraçadas – as atrizes são engraçadas

So forte doesn’t change with gender, only with number; engraçado changes with both.

Why is it singular o aplauso and not plural os aplausos?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

• o aplauso: treats applause as a mass / collective thing

  • O aplauso é forte. – The applause (as a whole) is strong.

• os aplausos: focuses on individual rounds of applause or a series of them

  • Os aplausos foram fortes. – The rounds of applause were strong.

In general descriptions like your sentence, o aplauso é forte is more natural and common.

Could I say O aplauso fica forte quando o ator é engraçado? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can.

• O aplauso é forte quando o ator é engraçado.
  = Applause is (typically) strong when the actor is funny.

• O aplauso fica forte quando o ator é engraçado.
  = Applause gets / becomes strong when the actor is funny.

Fica forte emphasizes the change or the moment the applause rises; é forte is more of a neutral general statement.

How do you pronounce the tricky parts like aplauso, ator, and engraçado?

Approximate Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation:

• aplauso – /a-PLAU-zo/

  • stress on PLAU
  • s between vowels sounds like z: aplauzo

• ator – /a-TOR/

  • stress on TOR
  • final r often sounds like a soft h or guttural sound in Brazil (varies by region): ato(h)

• engraçado – /eng-ra-SA-do/

  • en is nasal: like “eng” in “English,” but shorter
  • ç always sounds like s: sa, not ka
  • stress on sa: engraÇAdo

What’s the difference between quando o ator é engraçado and quando o ator for engraçado?

Both use quando = when, but they differ in time and mood:

• quando o ator é engraçado (present indicative)
  Describes a general or habitual situation, known to be true:

  • O aplauso é forte quando o ator é engraçado.
    Whenever he’s funny (in general), the applause is strong.

• quando o ator for engraçado (future subjunctive)
  Refers to a future, uncertain situation:

  • Quando o ator for engraçado, o aplauso vai ser forte.
    When the actor is funny (in the future, if/when that happens), the applause will be strong.

Your original sentence is about a general pattern, so é is correct.

Could I use se instead of quando, like O aplauso é forte se o ator é engraçado?

You could, but it slightly changes the nuance:

• quando o ator é engraçado – when(ever) the actor is funny
  → talks about repeated situations / frequency.

• se o ator é engraçado – if the actor is funny
  → sounds more like a condition or hypothesis.

More natural versions with se would be:

• O aplauso é forte se o ator for engraçado.
• O aplauso vai ser forte se o ator for engraçado.

Those sound like: “The applause will be strong if the actor turns out to be funny.”