Breakdown of Este sofá é ainda mais confortável do que a cadeira.
ser
to be
este
this
do que
than
a cadeira
the chair
Questions & Answers about Este sofá é ainda mais confortável do que a cadeira.
Why does the sentence use este instead of esse?
Este means this. In traditional grammar, este refers to something near the speaker, while esse refers to something near the listener or something already mentioned.
So este sofá = this sofa.
In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, though, many people use esse where older grammar would prefer este. So in real life, este sofá and esse sofá can both be heard, but este is still perfectly correct and often appears in careful writing or teaching examples.
Why is it é and not está?
Here, é comes from ser, not estar.
Portuguese usually uses ser for a more general or inherent characteristic:
- O sofá é confortável. = The sofa is comfortable.
Use estar more for a temporary state or how something feels at the moment:
- O sofá está confortável hoje. = The sofa feels comfortable today.
In this sentence, the speaker is comparing the sofa and the chair as objects in general, so é is the natural choice.
What does ainda mean here? Doesn’t it usually mean still?