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Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Este é o único problema. - This is the only problem.

Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil)
/Resolving an electricity problem
/Este é o único problema.

Este é o único problema.

Word

Este é o único problema.

Meaning

This is the only problem.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil)

Lesson

Resolving an electricity problem

Breakdown of Este é o único problema.

Questions & Answers about Este é o único problema.

Why does the sentence use este instead of esse or isto?

Este is a demonstrative, meaning this.

A quick comparison:

este = this
esse = that
isto = this/that without a noun after it

In Este é o único problema, este stands alone like this one or this in English.

A few useful notes for Brazilian Portuguese:

In formal grammar, este is used for something closer to the speaker, and esse for something closer to the listener or something already mentioned.
In everyday Brazilian speech, many people use esse where a textbook might prefer este.

So Este é o único problema is perfectly correct, but in casual speech you may also hear Esse é o único problema.

Why is it é and not está?

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Because Portuguese usually uses ser for identity, definition, and classification, and estar for temporary states or conditions.

Here, the sentence is identifying something:

Este é o único problema = it is being identified as the only problem

So é (from ser) is the natural choice.

Compare:

Ele é médico. = He is a doctor.
Ele está cansado. = He is tired.

In your sentence, the speaker is not describing a temporary condition. They are saying what this is.

Why is there an o in o único problema?

Because o único problema means the only problem.

The article o is the masculine singular definite article, equivalent to the.

Breakdown:

o = the
único = only / single
problema = problem

In Portuguese, you usually keep the definite article in expressions like the only...:

o único problema = the only problem
a única solução = the only solution

Without the article, the phrase would usually sound incomplete or unnatural in this context.

Why is it único and not única?

Because único must agree with problema, and problema is a masculine noun.

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

o único problema = the only problem
a única solução = the only solution
os únicos problemas = the only problems
as únicas soluções = the only solutions

So the masculine noun problema requires único.

Why is problema masculine even though it ends in -a?

This is a very common learner question.

Although many Portuguese nouns ending in -a are feminine, some are masculine, especially words of Greek origin such as:

o problema
o sistema
o tema
o programa
o idioma

So you have to learn problema as:

o problema
not a problema

That is why the sentence says o único problema.

What do the accent marks in é and único do?

They help with both pronunciation and, in one case, distinguishing words.

é

The accent in é shows that it is the verb is from ser.

é = is
e = and

So the accent is very important here because it changes the word completely.

único

The accent shows the stressed syllable:

Ú-ni-co

Without the accent, the stress rules of Portuguese would suggest a different pronunciation.

So the accents are not optional; they are part of correct spelling.

Why does único come before problema?

In Portuguese, adjectives can come before or after the noun, depending on the adjective and the meaning.

With único, position matters:

o único problema = the only problem
um problema único = a unique problem

So in your sentence, único comes before the noun because it means only, not unique.

This is an important difference:

o único amigo = the only friend
um amigo único = a unique/special friend

Can I say Esse é o único problema instead?

Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, Esse é o único problema is very common in natural speech.

The textbook distinction is often:

este = this
esse = that

But in modern spoken Brazilian Portuguese, esse often overlaps with este, especially in casual conversation.

So:

Este é o único problema = correct, a bit more formal or careful
Esse é o único problema = also very common and natural

How is Este é o único problema pronounced?

A simple approximate pronunciation for Brazilian Portuguese is:

ES-cheh eh oo OO-nee-koo pro-BLEH-ma

A few details:

Este in Brazil is often pronounced roughly like ES-chee or ES-tee, depending on accent
é sounds like eh
o before a consonant often sounds like oo
único has stress on the first syllable: OO-ni-co
problema has stress on ble: pro-BLE-ma

If you want a more syllable-by-syllable version:

Es-te
é
o
ú-ni-co
pro-ble-ma

Could Portuguese drop este, like just saying É o único problema?

Yes, that is possible if the context already makes the subject clear.

Este é o único problema. = This is the only problem.
É o único problema. = It is the only problem. / That’s the only problem.

Portuguese often allows the subject to be omitted when it is obvious from context. But este is useful when you want to point something out clearly: this one.

So both can work, but este is more explicit.

What would the plural version be?

The plural would be:

Estes são os únicos problemas.

Here is what changes:

este → estes
é → são
o → os
único → únicos
problema → problemas

Everything that can agree in number changes to plural. This is very typical in Portuguese.

Is único here better translated as only or single?

In this sentence, only is the best match.

o único problema = the only problem

While único can sometimes be translated as single, in this structure it usually means that there is just one.

Also remember the position difference:

o único problema = the only problem
um problema único = a unique problem

So in your sentence, only is the key idea.

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