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Questions & Answers about O relatório é positivo.
Why is the article o used before relatório?
The word o is the masculine singular definite article in Portuguese, equivalent to the in English. It signals that the report being mentioned is a specific one known to both the speaker and the listener.
What is the function of the verb é in this sentence?
The word é is the third person singular form of the verb ser, which means to be. It acts as the copula that links the subject (o relatório) to its adjective (positivo), describing an inherent characteristic of the report.
How does adjective agreement work between relatório and positivo?
In Portuguese, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in terms of gender and number. Since relatório is masculine and singular, the adjective positivo is also in its masculine singular form.
Why is the adjective positivo placed after the noun rather than before it?
In Portuguese, adjectives that describe intrinsic or inherent qualities typically follow the noun. In this sentence, positivo is positioned after relatório to reflect this common word order, even though in English adjectives usually precede the noun.
How would the sentence change if the report were negative?
To express a negative evaluation, you would replace positivo with negativo, resulting in "O relatório é negativo." The structure remains the same, but the adjective now denotes a negative assessment.
What would be the effect of using the indefinite article um instead of the definite article o?
Using um relatório (meaning a report) would make the reference nonspecific, implying any report rather than a particular one. The definite article o specifies that the sentence talks about a specific, identifiable report.