Breakdown of Esta parte do relatório está errada.
Questions & Answers about Esta parte do relatório está errada.
Why is it esta parte and not essa parte?
Both esta and essa can mean this in English, but traditionally they are different:
- esta = this, near the speaker
- essa = that, near the listener or something already mentioned
- aquela = that over there, farther away
In real spoken Brazilian Portuguese, many people use essa much more often than esta, even in places where a grammar book might expect esta.
So Esta parte do relatório está errada is perfectly correct, but in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, Essa parte do relatório está errada is also very common.
Why does the sentence use está instead of é?
Portuguese has two main verbs for to be: ser and estar.
Here, está errada is used because the sentence describes a condition or state: this part of the report is wrong.
- estar often refers to a state, condition, or situation
- ser often refers to identity, definition, or more permanent characteristics
So:
- Esta parte do relatório está errada. = This part of the report is wrong.
- Esta parte do relatório é importante. = This part of the report is important.
In practice, errado/errada is very commonly used with estar.
Why is it errada and not errado?
Because errada agrees with parte, and parte is a feminine noun.
In Portuguese, adjectives usually agree in gender and number with the noun they describe:
- o relatório errado = the wrong report
- a parte errada = the wrong part
- as partes erradas = the wrong parts
Even though relatório is masculine, errada is describing parte, not relatório.
What exactly is do in do relatório?
do is a contraction of:
- de
- o = do
So:
- de o relatório → do relatório
This structure often means of the.
So parte do relatório literally means part of the report.
Other common contractions:
- de + a = da
- de + os = dos
- de + as = das
Examples:
- a capa do livro = the cover of the book
- a cor da camisa = the color of the shirt
Why is there a in Esta parte? Is it the article the?
No. In Esta parte, the a is part of the word esta.
- esta = this (feminine singular)
- parte = part
So esta parte means this part.
It is not:
- esta
- separate article a
Also, esta is feminine singular because parte is feminine singular.
Compare:
- este relatório = this report
- esta parte = this part
- estes relatórios = these reports
- estas partes = these parts
How do I know that parte is feminine?
You usually learn the gender together with the noun:
- a parte = the part
That tells you it is feminine.
This matters because other words around it change to match:
- esta parte
- a parte
- parte errada
Unfortunately, noun gender in Portuguese is not always predictable from meaning alone, so it is best to memorize nouns with their article.
Could I say Essa parte do relatório está errada instead?
Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, that is very natural and often more common in everyday speech.
Traditional grammar distinguishes:
- esta = this
- essa = that / this previously mentioned thing
But in actual Brazilian usage, essa frequently replaces esta.
So both are correct, but they may sound slightly different in formality or style:
- Esta parte do relatório está errada. = a bit more formal or careful
- Essa parte do relatório está errada. = very common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese
Can the word order change?
Yes, but the original order is the most neutral and natural.
Standard order:
- Esta parte do relatório está errada.
You might also hear:
Essa parte está errada.
if do relatório is understood from contextEstá errada esta parte do relatório.
possible, but less neutral and often more emphatic or stylistic
For most learners, the original structure is the best model.
Is errada the same as incorreta?
They are similar, but not always identical in tone.
- errada = wrong, mistaken
- incorreta = incorrect
In many contexts, either one works:
- Esta parte do relatório está errada.
- Esta parte do relatório está incorreta.
But incorreta can sound a little more formal or technical, while errada is more common in everyday language.
How is relatório pronounced?
In Brazilian Portuguese, relatório is pronounced approximately like:
heh-lah-TOH-ree-oh
or more carefully: re-la-TÓ-rio
A few useful points:
- the stress is on tó: re-la-TÓ-rio
- the r at the beginning of a word is pronounced like an English h in many Brazilian accents
- the final rio is usually pronounced as two syllables: ri-o
So the word has four syllables:
re-la-tó-ri-o
Could the sentence leave out está?
No, not in standard Portuguese.
English can sometimes compress things in ways Portuguese cannot, but here Portuguese needs the verb:
- Esta parte do relatório está errada. = correct
- Esta parte do relatório errada. = incomplete / not standard as a full sentence
The verb está is necessary to say is wrong.
How would I make this sentence plural?
You change all the words that need to agree:
- Estas partes do relatório estão erradas. = These parts of the report are wrong.
Changes:
- esta → estas
- parte → partes
- está → estão
- errada → erradas
Notice that do relatório stays singular if you still mean of the report.
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