As luzes começaram a piscar.

The lights began to flicker.

Breakdown of As luzes começaram a piscar.

• o: the
• a luz: the light
• começar a: to start
• piscar: to flicker or blink

Questions & Answers about As luzes começaram a piscar.

Why does the sentence start with As?

As is the feminine plural definite article, meaning the.

• a = the (feminine singular)
• as = the (feminine plural)
• o = the (masculine singular)
• os = the (masculine plural)

Since luzes means lights and is a plural feminine noun, it takes as:

• a luz = the light
• as luzes = the lights

Why is it luzes and not luzs?

Because luz is a noun ending in -z, and its plural is formed by changing -z to -zes:

• luz → luzes

This is a normal plural pattern in Portuguese for many words ending in -z.

Is luz really feminine? How can I tell?

Yes, luz is feminine.

You usually learn a noun’s gender together with its article:

• a luz
• as luzes

There is not always a simple rule based on the ending, so it is best to memorize nouns with their article.