A pulga é pequena.

to be

Breakdown of A pulga é pequena.

• pequeno: small
• a pulga: the flea

Questions & Answers about A pulga é pequena.

Why is there a before pulga?

A is the feminine singular definite article, so it normally corresponds to the.

In Portuguese, especially in general statements, you often use the definite article where English might not. So A pulga é pequena can mean:

• The flea is small if you are talking about a specific flea
• a general statement like The flea is a small insect / Fleas are small, depending on context

If you wanted a flea in the indefinite sense, you would usually say uma pulga.

Why is pulga feminine? Does that mean it is a female flea?

No. Pulga is grammatically feminine, not necessarily biologically female.

Portuguese nouns have grammatical gender, and pulga happens to be a feminine noun. That is why it uses:

• a instead of o
• pequena instead of pequeno

This is just a grammar pattern. It does not automatically tell you the animal’s real-life sex.

Why is it pequena and not pequeno?

Because adjectives in Portuguese usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

Since pulga is feminine singular, the adjective must also be feminine singular:

• masculine singular: pequeno
• feminine singular: pequena
• masculine plural: pequenos
• feminine plural: pequenas

So A pulga é pequena is the correct agreement.