A lixeira está cheia de lixo, então vou levá-la para fora.

to be

Breakdown of A lixeira está cheia de lixo, então vou levá-la para fora.

• ir: to go (future auxiliary)
• de: of
• então: so

Questions & Answers about A lixeira está cheia de lixo, então vou levá-la para fora.

Why is it a lixeira and not just lixeira?

Portuguese usually uses the definite article more often than English does. So a lixeira is the normal way to say the trash can.

In English, you might sometimes drop the in certain contexts, but in Portuguese, a lixeira sounds more natural here than just lixeira.

• a = the for a feminine singular noun
• lixeira = trash can / garbage can

Because lixeira is feminine, the article is a, not o.

What is the difference between lixeira and lixo?

They are different things:

• lixeira = trash can, garbage bin
• lixo = trash, garbage

So in A lixeira está cheia de lixo, the sentence literally says:

• The trash can is full of trash

This is why both words appear in the same sentence. One is the container, and the other is what is inside it.

Why is it está cheia and not está cheio?