O chão está molhado.

to be

Breakdown of O chão está molhado.

• o chão: the floor
• molhado: wet

Questions & Answers about O chão está molhado.

Why is the verb estar used instead of ser in this sentence?

In Portuguese, estar is used to indicate a temporary state or condition, while ser describes inherent or permanent characteristics. In O chão está molhado, the use of estar tells us that the floor is wet right now—perhaps because of a spill or recent cleaning—even if it might dry later.

Why does the adjective molhado come after the noun chão, and how does gender agreement work here?

Portuguese typically places descriptive adjectives after the noun, especially when stating conditions or qualities. In this sentence, molhado follows chão and agrees with it in gender and number since chão is a masculine singular noun. If you were describing a feminine noun—like a parede (the wall)—you’d use molhada instead.

What is the function of the definite article O at the beginning of the sentence?

The article O is the masculine singular definite article in Portuguese, equivalent to the in English. It is used here because chão is a masculine noun, thereby specifying a particular floor.

How does the tilde in chão affect its pronunciation?