A vida é curta.

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.

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

Because curta is an adjective agreeing with vida, which is a feminine singular noun.

In Portuguese, adjectives usually agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

• vida = feminine singular
• curta = feminine singular form of curto

Compare:

• A vida é curta
• O caminho é curto
• As férias são curtas
• Os dias são curtos

A common Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation is roughly:

a VEE-da eh KOOR-ta

More approximately:

• a = like ah
• vida = VEE-da
• é = like eh
• curta = KOOR-ta

A more IPA-like version is:

[a ˈvidɐ ɛ ˈkuʁtɐ]

A few pronunciation notes for Brazilian Portuguese:

• v sounds like English v
• d in vida may sound a bit like j in some accents before i, so you may hear something close to VEE-ja
• r in curta varies by accent; often it is a soft guttural sound in Brazil

The accent in é is important.

It shows that this is the verb é = is, from ser.

Without the accent, e usually means and.

So:

• é = is
• e = and

The accent also helps show the stressed vowel sound, which is typically an open eh sound.

Yes. This sentence follows a very standard pattern:

• A vida = subject
• é = verb
• curta = predicate adjective

So the structure is basically:

Subject + verb + adjective

This is the most natural order here.

You might see more poetic or emphatic variations in literature, but A vida é curta is the normal everyday form.

Normally, no.

A vida está curta sounds odd in most situations because shortness of life is being treated as a temporary condition, which is not the intended idea.

A native speaker would strongly prefer:

A vida é curta

That said, in a very specific context, estar curto/curta can appear with other meanings, but not as the usual translation of this sentence.

Usually, no.

In standard Portuguese, that sounds incomplete or unnatural here. Portuguese generally prefers:

A vida é curta

English often drops the article in broad statements, but Portuguese often keeps it.

This is a common difference learners need to get used to.

Yes, you can say:

A vida é breve

That is correct, but it sounds a bit more literary, reflective, or formal.

Compare:

• A vida é curta = the most common, natural, everyday version
• A vida é breve = more elegant, poetic, or philosophical in tone

Both are correct, but curta is usually the safer everyday choice.

No.

Portuguese does not need a subject pronoun here because the noun a vida is already the subject.

So:

• A vida é curta = complete and natural
• Ela é curta = It is short / She is short, depending on context

Using ela would change the sentence and would only make sense if you were referring back to vida or some other feminine noun already mentioned.

Yes, completely natural.

It is a simple, standard, idiomatic sentence in Brazilian Portuguese. It works well in everyday language, writing, conversation, and reflective or philosophical contexts.

It is also a very useful example because it shows several basic features of Portuguese:

• article use: a vida
• ser in the present tense: é
• adjective agreement: curta