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Questions & Answers about O café está frio.
Why is the noun café preceded by the article o?
In Portuguese every noun has a gender. Café is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine definite article o, which translates to "the" in English. This is similar to saying "the coffee" in English.
Why do we use the verb está instead of é in this sentence?
Portuguese uses two verbs for "to be": ser and estar. The verb estar (in the form está) is used to describe temporary states or conditions. In "O café está frio", the coffee’s temperature is a changeable state—it's cold at the moment. Using é (from ser) would imply a permanent characteristic, which isn’t appropriate in this context.
What is the purpose of the accent mark in está?
The accent mark in está indicates the correct stress on the final syllable. It helps distinguish the conjugated form from others and ensures proper pronunciation, which is a common function of accents in Portuguese.
How does the sentence structure of "O café está frio" compare to its English translation "The coffee is cold"?
Both sentences follow the same basic structure: a subject followed by a linking verb and then an adjective describing the state. In Portuguese, O café (the coffee) is the subject, está (is) is the linking verb, and frio (cold) serves as the predicate adjective. This similarity makes it easier for English speakers to grasp basic sentence construction in Portuguese.
How does adjective agreement work in this sentence?
In Portuguese, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since café is masculine singular, the adjective appears in its masculine singular form as frio. If the noun were feminine or plural, the adjective would need to change to match (for example, "a água fria" for "the cold water", where água is feminine).