A descida está molhada?

to be

Breakdown of A descida está molhada?

• molhado: wet
• a descida: the descent

Questions & Answers about A descida está molhada?

What does descida mean in this sentence?

Descida literally comes from the idea of going down or descent. In this sentence, it usually means something like:

• the downhill part
• the slope
• the descent
• sometimes the way down

The exact English translation depends on context. If people are talking about a road, trail, ramp, or hill, descida usually refers to the downward stretch.

Why is there an a at the beginning: A descida?

Here, a is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• a descida = the descent / the slope

Portuguese usually uses articles more often than English does, so keeping a here is very natural.

Why is it está and not é?

Portuguese has two main verbs for to be: ser and estar.

In A descida está molhada?, está is used because being wet is seen as a temporary condition or current state.

• estar molhada = to be wet
• ser molhada would sound unusual here, because it would suggest something more inherent or defining rather than a temporary condition

So if the slope is wet because of rain, water, mud, etc., está is the correct choice.