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Este café está fraco.

Este café está fraco.
This coffee is weak.
FromLesson 23inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Este café está fraco.

o café
the coffee
estar
to be
este
this
fraco
weak

Questions & Answers about Este café está fraco.

Why is está used instead of é?
Portuguese has two verbs—ser and estar. We use está (from estar) for temporary states or conditions (like the current strength of this coffee). If you wanted to describe a coffee variety that is always weak, you could say Este café é fraco.
Why is fraco masculine, and would it change with a feminine noun?
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. Café is masculine singular, so the adjective is fraco (masculine singular). If you spoke about a feminine noun (e.g., cerveja), you’d say Esta cerveja está fraca.
Do I need the definite article “o” before café, or is este café enough?
When you use a demonstrative like este, it already functions as a determiner and replaces the article. So este café is perfectly correct. If you drop the demonstrative, you can say O café está fraco.
What’s the difference between este, esse and aquele in this context?

In European Portuguese:

  • este refers to something close to the speaker
  • esse to something close to the listener
  • aquele to something distant from both
    So if you’re holding the cup or it’s right in front of you, you’d use este café.
Why can’t I say isso café está fraco?
Isso is a demonstrative pronoun (it stands alone), not an adjective, so it can’t modify a noun. Only este, esse and aquele act as demonstrative adjectives before a noun: este café, esse café, aquele café.
Are there other ways to say a coffee is “weak” in Portuguese?

Yes. Common synonyms include:

  • aguado (watery)
  • ralo (thin/diluted)
    You could say Este café está aguado or Este café está ralo, each emphasizing a slightly different nuance of weakness.
How do I pronounce café and fraco?
  • café: [kaˈfɛ], stress on the final syllable, open e (like the “e” in “bet”).
  • fraco: [ˈfɾaku], with a tapped or rolled r, “a” as in “father,” and “o” as in “go.”
Can I just say está fraco without the noun?
Yes—if the context is clear. For example, someone asks “E o café?” and you reply “Está fraco.” The noun is understood from what you’re talking about.
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