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?