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Hoje é o aniversário da minha amiga.

Hoje é o aniversário da minha amiga.
Today is my friend's birthday.
FromLesson 1inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Hoje é o aniversário da minha amiga.

ser
to be
hoje
today
minha
my
a amiga
the friend
o aniversário
the birthday
de
of

Questions & Answers about Hoje é o aniversário da minha amiga.

Why do we use é instead of está in the sentence Hoje é o aniversário da minha amiga?
In Portuguese, ser (conjugated as é) is used to describe inherent characteristics or permanent facts. A birthday is considered more of a defining event rather than a temporary state, so we use é instead of está.
Why do we say da minha amiga instead of de a minha amiga?
In Portuguese, de (of) contracts with the article a (the, feminine) to form da. So, de a minha amiga becomes da minha amiga. This is a common contraction rule whenever de appears before a.
What does minha indicate in da minha amiga?
Minha is the feminine singular form of my. It matches the feminine noun amiga (friend), indicating that the friend is female. If the friend were male, we would say meu amigo.
Why do we say amiga instead of amigo?
Portuguese nouns have gender. Amiga is the feminine form for friend, and amigo is the masculine form. Because we’re talking about a female friend, we use amiga.
Why use the article o before aniversário?
In Portuguese, aniversário is a masculine noun; hence it usually goes with the article o. We say o aniversário to refer specifically to the birthday.
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