Breakdown of A piscina está fechada agora, mas o mar continua calmo.
estar
to be
agora
now
mas
but
calmo
calm
continuar
to continue
o mar
the sea
a piscina
the pool
fechado
closed
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Questions & Answers about A piscina está fechada agora, mas o mar continua calmo.
Why is a piscina used with a definite article, whereas in English we can say simply “pool”?
In Portuguese it’s normal to put a definite article before most nouns, even in general statements. So you say a piscina (the pool) rather than just piscina.
Why do we use está instead of é fechada?
Portuguese has two verbs for “to be.” You use ser (e.g. é) for permanent or defining qualities, and estar (e.g. está) for temporary states or locations. A pool being closed is a temporary condition, so we use estar.
Why is fechada feminine?
Adjectives and past participles in Portuguese must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Since piscina is feminine singular, the past participle fechado becomes fechada.
Why is agora placed at the end of the clause? Could it go elsewhere?
Adverbs like agora (now) are fairly flexible in Portuguese. You could also say Agora a piscina está fechada or A piscina agora está fechada—all three orders are grammatically correct, with only slight shifts in emphasis.
Why do we say mas o mar continua calmo instead of o mar está calmo?
Using continuar (“to continue”) plus an adjective emphasizes that the calm condition has persisted over time. You could still say o mar está calmo, but continua calmo highlights that it was calm before and remains so.
Why is calmo masculine and not calma?
Like fechada, adjectives must match the noun’s gender. Mar is a masculine noun, so the adjective is calmo, not calma.
Why do we put a comma before mas?
When mas (“but”) introduces a contrasting clause, you normally separate the clauses with a comma: …, mas ….
What’s the difference between mas and mais?
They look similar but mean different things. Mas (with an s) is a conjunction meaning “but.” Mais (with an i) is an adverb or determiner meaning “more.” Mixing them is a common spelling error.
Can mas be replaced with other conjunctions?
Yes. You could use synonyms such as porém, contudo or entretanto to mean “however,” though mas is the most colloquial and frequent.