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A árvore é grande.

A árvore é grande.
The tree is big.
FromLesson 9inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of A árvore é grande.

ser
to be
a árvore
the tree
grande
big

Questions & Answers about A árvore é grande.

Why does the sentence begin with A before árvore instead of using O?
In Portuguese, nouns have gender. The word árvore (tree) is feminine, so it must be preceded by the feminine definite article A. Unlike English—which uses the neutral “the”—Portuguese articles change according to the noun’s gender.
How is the verb é used in this sentence?
É is the third person singular present tense form of the irregular verb ser (to be). It links the subject árvore with the adjective grande, forming a predicate that describes the subject.
Does the adjective grande change form depending on the noun's gender?
In the singular, grande remains the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. However, when pluralizing, it changes to grandes to agree with the plural noun. For example, As árvores são grandes.
Why is there an accent mark on árvore?
The accent mark indicates that the stress falls on the first syllable, ensuring correct pronunciation. Without the accent, learners might misplace the emphasis and pronounce the word incorrectly.
What is the sentence structure of A árvore é grande. compared to English?
The sentence follows a similar structure to English: it starts with a subject (árvore), followed by a linking verb (é), and ends with a predicate adjective (grande) that describes the subject. This parallels the English sentence “The tree is big.”
How would the sentence change if the subject were plural?
In the plural, the sentence becomes As árvores são grandes. Here, the feminine singular article A changes to As, árvore becomes árvores, the verb é is replaced by the plural form são, and grande changes to grandes to agree with the plural noun.
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