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Questions & Answers about O mercado está cheio.
What is the role of está in the sentence O mercado está cheio?
Está is the third person singular form of the verb estar in the present indicative tense. It indicates the current, temporary state of the market—that it is full at this moment. Portuguese uses estar to talk about conditions that can change over time.
Why is cheio in its masculine form here?
In Portuguese, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since mercado is a masculine singular noun, the adjective is also in its masculine singular form, which is cheio. If the noun were feminine, the adjective would change accordingly (for example, cheia).
Why is the definite article o used before mercado?
In Portuguese, definite articles are used much like in English to specify a particular noun. The o before mercado serves two purposes: it translates to the in English and marks the noun as masculine singular. This is a standard part of noun phrases in Portuguese.
How does using estar rather than ser affect the meaning of the sentence?
Portuguese differentiates between estar and ser to indicate temporary versus permanent states. By using estar, the sentence implies that the market's state of being full is temporary—perhaps it is busy at the moment—rather than an inherent or permanent characteristic that would be expressed with ser.
What tense is está in, and why is that important?
Está is in the present indicative tense. This is important because it communicates that the condition of the market being full is happening right now. The use of the present tense helps learners understand when to apply this form to describe current states.
How would you change the sentence to express the plural form?
To express the sentence in the plural, you need to adjust the article, noun, verb, and adjective for plurality. The plural version is Os mercados estão cheios. Here, Os is the plural form of the article, mercados is the plural of mercado, estão is the plural form of estar in the present indicative, and cheios is the plural form of cheio.