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Questions & Answers about O carro está sujo.
What does each word in the sentence "O carro está sujo." mean?
O is the masculine singular definite article and corresponds to "the." Carro means "car." Está is the third-person singular form of the verb estar, used to describe a temporary state (translated as "is"). Sujo is an adjective meaning "dirty."
Why is the verb estar used here instead of ser?
In Portuguese, estar is used to express temporary conditions or states, while ser describes inherent, permanent traits. Saying "O carro está sujo" indicates that the car is dirty at the moment (a temporary condition), rather than implying that being dirty is an intrinsic quality of the car.
How do adjectives in Portuguese agree with the noun in terms of gender and number, as seen in "sujo"?
Adjectives in Portuguese must match the gender and number of the noun they describe. In this sentence, carro is masculine singular, so the adjective appears as sujo. If the noun were feminine, for example, casa (house), the adjective would change to suja to agree (resulting in "A casa está suja").
Is the word order in "O carro está sujo" fixed, or can it be rearranged for stylistic reasons?
While Portuguese sometimes allows for adjectives to appear before the noun for stylistic emphasis, in sentences that describe a temporary state using estar, the adjective typically follows the verb. Thus, "O carro está sujo" is the standard and natural word order to express that the car is currently dirty.
Can this sentence structure be applied to other objects or situations, and what adjustments would be needed?
Yes, you can use this structure to describe the state of other objects. Simply replace the noun and adjust the definite article and adjective to match the noun's gender and number. For example, for a feminine noun, you might say "A casa está suja" (The house is dirty). For plural objects, you would adjust to "Os carros estão sujos" for masculine plural or "As casas estão sujas" for feminine plural.