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Questions & Answers about A vida é curta.
Why is there a before vida?
In Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article with general nouns, where English often uses no article.
So A vida é curta is the normal way to say Life is short.
- a vida = life in a general sense
- literally: the life is short
If you say Vida é curta, it sounds unnatural in standard Portuguese in this context.
Why is it é and not está?
Portuguese has two main verbs for to be: ser and estar.
Here, é is from ser, because the sentence expresses a general truth or an essential characteristic:
- A vida é curta = a general statement about life
If you used está, it would suggest a temporary state, which does not fit this idea well.
So:
- é = used for definitions, identity, general truths, lasting qualities
- está = used for temporary conditions, location, current states
Why does curta end in -a?