As paredes brancas da sala contrastam com os móveis escuros.

The white walls of the living room contrast with the dark furniture.

Breakdown of As paredes brancas da sala contrastam com os móveis escuros.

• de: of
• com: with
• escuro: dark
• a sala: the living room
• a parede: the wall
• branco: white
• contrastar: to contrast

Questions & Answers about As paredes brancas da sala contrastam com os móveis escuros.

Why is the adjective brancas placed after the noun paredes instead of before it?

In Portuguese, adjectives like brancas (white) often follow the noun they describe—here, paredes (walls). This is a common structure in Portuguese for descriptive adjectives, even though in English the descriptive adjective ("white") comes before the noun ("walls").

How does the contraction in da sala work?

Da is a contraction of de + a. It indicates possession or a relationship. In this sentence, da sala means "of the room" or "in the room," showing that the white walls belong to or are part of the room.

What does the verb contrastam mean, and why is it in this form?

Contrastam is the third person plural present indicative conjugation of the verb contrastar (to contrast). It agrees with the plural subject as paredes brancas (the white walls). The form indicates that the walls (plural) are actively contrasting with the dark furniture.

How does adjective agreement work in this sentence?

Portuguese adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. In this sentence, paredes is a feminine plural noun, so the adjective brancas is also feminine plural. Similarly, móveis is masculine plural, which is why the adjective escuros is in the masculine plural form. This agreement clarifies the characteristics of each noun.

How does the placement of adjectives in Portuguese differ from English in this sentence?

In English, adjectives typically come before the noun (e.g., "white walls" and "dark furniture"). In Portuguese, however, adjectives like brancas and escuros usually follow the noun they describe (e.g., paredes brancas and móveis escuros). This is a standard pattern in Portuguese grammar.