A lata está vazia.

Portuguese often uses the definite article where English may or may not use the.

• a = the (feminine singular)
• lata = can, tin, or metal container

So A lata está vazia literally means The can is empty.

You can also say just Lata in some contexts, but in a normal full sentence, using the article is very common and natural.

Because lata is a feminine noun in Portuguese.

Singular definite articles:

• o = the for masculine nouns
• a = the for feminine nouns

So:

• o copo = the glass
• a lata = the can

This is grammatical gender, not biological gender.

Usually, nouns ending in -a are often feminine, and lata is one of them.

A good habit is to learn nouns together with their article:

• a lata
• o copo
• a mesa
• o livro

That helps you remember both the word and its gender at the same time.

Portuguese has two main verbs for to be:

• ser → usually for permanent characteristics, identity, origin, time, etc.
• estar → usually for temporary states, conditions, location, etc.

Empty in this sentence is treated as a condition or state, so Portuguese uses estar:

• A lata está vazia. = The can is empty.

Using é here would sound unnatural in normal speech.

Está is the third-person singular form of estar in the present tense.

Present tense of estar:

• eu estou
• você/ele/ela está
• nós estamos
• vocês/eles/elas estão

Since a lata is singular, the verb must also be singular:

• A lata está...

Adjectives in Portuguese usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

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

• masculine singular: vazio
• feminine singular: vazia
• masculine plural: vazios
• feminine plural: vazias

Examples:

• O copo está vazio.
• A lata está vazia.
• As latas estão vazias.

Lata most commonly means a can, tin, or metal container.

Depending on context, it can refer to:

• a food can
• a soda can
• a metal tin

Brazilian Portuguese also has slang uses of lata, but in a basic sentence like this, it simply means a can/tin.

The normal word order is:

Article + noun + verb + adjective

So:

• A lata está vazia.

Portuguese does allow some word order variation, but changing it here would sound unnatural or poetic. For everyday speech, stick with A lata está vazia.

A natural Brazilian pronunciation is approximately:

ah LAH-tah es-TAH vah-ZEE-ah

A few notes:

• a in lata is an open ah sound
• the stress in lata is on la
• está is stressed on the last syllable: -tá
• vazia usually sounds like va-ZI-a or va-ZEE-a, depending on accent and speed

In natural speech, the sentence may flow together smoothly.

The accent mark in está shows the stressed syllable and is part of the correct spelling.

Without getting too technical, the accent tells you that the stress falls on the last syllable:

• es-TÁ

It also helps distinguish this written form from other patterns in Portuguese spelling.

Yes. Lata can be translated as can or tin depending on context.

So this sentence could mean:

• The can is empty
• The tin is empty

If the meaning has already been shown to the learner, the context will usually tell you which translation is best.

The plural is:

As latas estão vazias. = The cans are empty.

Notice that everything changes to plural:

• a → as
• lata → latas
• está → estão
• vazia → vazias

This is a great example of agreement in Portuguese.

Yes. A lata está vazia is completely natural and grammatical.

It is a simple, everyday sentence that shows several useful patterns:

• noun gender: a lata
• present tense of estar: está
• adjective agreement: vazia

So it is a very good beginner sentence to study.