Questions & Answers about O sótão está frio.
What does sótão mean?
Sótão translates to "attic" in English.
Why is the definite article "O" used before sótão?
In Portuguese, every noun has a gender. Sótão is a masculine noun, so the masculine singular definite article "O" (meaning "the") is used.
Why is the verb está used in this sentence instead of é?
Portuguese uses two verbs for “to be”: ser and estar. Estar is used for temporary states or conditions. In "O sótão está frio," the adjective "frio" describes the current (and likely temporary) condition of the attic, making está appropriate over é, which would describe permanent characteristics.
How does the adjective frio agree with sótão?
Adjectives in Portuguese must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since sótão is masculine and singular, the adjective is in its masculine singular form, frio. If the noun were feminine (e.g., cozinha), the adjective would change to fria.
What do the diacritical marks in sótão indicate?
The acute accent on the Ó in sótão indicates that the stress falls on that syllable. The tilde over the ão signals a nasal vowel sound. Both marks help with proper pronunciation.
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