Questions & Answers about A justiça é importante.
Why is there a before justiça? English would usually just say Justice is important.
In Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article with abstract nouns, especially when talking about a general concept.
So:
- A justiça é importante. = Justice is important.
Even though English usually drops the article, Portuguese often keeps it.
Without the article, Justiça é importante, the sentence sounds less neutral and can feel more like a slogan, a heading, or a stylistic choice. For normal everyday Portuguese, A justiça é importante is the safest form.
Is justiça feminine? How can I tell?
Yes, justiça is a feminine noun.
You can tell here because it uses the feminine singular article a:
- a justiça
You should learn Portuguese nouns together with their article whenever possible, because grammatical gender is not always fully predictable. In this sentence, the article clearly shows the gender.
What does the ç in justiça do?