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Questions & Answers about O biscoito é crocante.
What does the article O indicate in this sentence?
In Portuguese, nouns have a gender, and the article O is the masculine form of “the”. Since biscoito (meaning cookie or biscuit) is masculine, we use O. If the noun were feminine, you would use A.
What is the function of é in this sentence?
The word é is the third-person singular present form of the verb ser, which means “to be” in English. In this sentence, it translates to “is”, connecting the subject O biscoito with its description, crocante.
Why is ser (as in é) used instead of estar for describing the cookie?
Portuguese uses ser to describe inherent or permanent characteristics—qualities that are understood as defining and unchanging. Crocante (crunchy) is considered an inherent quality of the cookie, so ser is used. In contrast, estar is reserved for temporary states or conditions.
Does the adjective crocante change form based on the noun’s gender or number?
No, crocante is one of those adjectives in Portuguese that does not change with gender—it remains the same whether the noun is masculine or feminine. However, when pluralizing, you would generally add an –s to match the plural noun (e.g., Os biscoitos são crocantes).
How would the sentence change if you wanted to talk about multiple cookies?
To talk about multiple cookies, you need to change the article, noun, verb, and adjective where necessary. The sentence becomes Os biscoitos são crocantes. Here, Os is the plural masculine form of O, biscoitos is the plural of biscoito, são is the plural form of é, and crocantes reflects the plural adjective.
What does the word biscoito mean, and how is it pronounced?
Biscoito means “cookie” or “biscuit” in English, referring to a small, baked snack. In European Portuguese, it is pronounced roughly as “bee-SKWOY-too”, with the emphasis typically on the second syllable, though pronunciation can vary regionally.
Can the sentence be written using estar (as in O biscoito está crocante), and what would the nuance be?
Yes, you can write O biscoito está crocante. When you use estar, it implies that the crunchy state might be temporary or the result of a recent change, like the cookie having cooled and become crunchy. Using é suggests that being crunchy is an inherent quality of the cookie. The choice between the two depends on whether you want to emphasize a temporary condition or a permanent characteristic.