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Os óculos estão sujos.

Os óculos estão sujos.
The glasses are dirty.
FromLesson 24inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Os óculos estão sujos.

estar
to be
sujo
dirty
os óculos
the glasses

Questions & Answers about Os óculos estão sujos.

Why is óculos always plural in Portuguese?
The word óculos is a pluralia tantum—it only exists in the plural form, much like scissors or trousers in English. You cannot say um óculo to mean one “glass”; if you need to refer to a single lens you’d say uma lente.
Why do we use the definite article os before óculos?
In Portuguese it’s common to use definite articles with items of clothing and accessories (and also with body parts). So os óculos literally means “the glasses,” even if you’re not talking about a very specific pair. Leaving out the article would sound odd in European Portuguese.
Why is the verb estão used here instead of são?
Portuguese distinguishes ser (to be, used for permanent or defining characteristics) from estar (to be, used for temporary states or conditions). Since dirtiness is a temporary condition, we say os óculos estão sujos (“the glasses are dirty”) rather than os óculos são sujos, which would incorrectly suggest that being dirty is an inherent trait.
Why does the adjective sujos follow the noun óculos?
In Portuguese the most common placement for descriptive adjectives is after the noun. So the pattern is [noun] + [adjective]. You could say óculos sujos, but you still keep os in front: os óculos sujos.
How do you know to make the adjective sujos plural and masculine?
Adjectives in Portuguese must agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they modify. Since óculos is a masculine plural noun, the adjective must also be masculine plural: sujos (not sujo or suja).
How do you pronounce óculos estão sujos?

Break it into syllables and watch the stressed vowels:
· Ó-cu-los (stress on the first syllable, ó)
· es-tão (stress on the second syllable, tão)
· su-jos (stress on the first syllable, su)
Put it together roughly as “OH-koo-loosh es-TOWN SOO-zhoosh” with European Portuguese vowel qualities.

What’s the difference between óculos and lentes?
Óculos refers to the entire eyeglass frame with lenses. Lentes means “lenses” and can refer to camera lenses or contact lenses. If you break a lens off your glasses, you’d say perdi a lente but your óculos are still intact (minus the lens).
Can I say meus óculos estão sujos to add “my”?
Yes. You simply insert the possessive pronoun after the article: os meus óculos estão sujos (“my glasses are dirty”). In European Portuguese the order is article + possessive + noun.
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