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Questions & Answers about O lápis está afiado.
Why is there a definite article O before lápis?
In Portuguese, definite articles (o, a, os, as) are used more frequently than in English. Here, O marks lápis as a specific, identifiable object (the pencil we’re talking about). It’s equivalent to “the pencil” in English.
Is lápis masculine or feminine? How do I know?
Lápis is masculine, so it takes the masculine article o and masculine adjectives (afiado, not afiada). A quick tip: many Portuguese nouns that end in a consonant are masculine, though there are exceptions.
Why does lápis have an accent on the first a?
The acute accent in lápis indicates that the stress falls on that syllable: LÁ-pis (ˈla.piʃ). It also distinguishes the word from other similar spellings, ensuring correct pronunciation.
Why do we use está instead of é?
Portuguese has two verbs for “to be”: ser (é) for permanent traits, and estar (está) for temporary states or conditions. Since being sharpened is a temporary condition of the pencil, we use está afiado.
What is the role of afiar, and why is it afiado here?
Afiar means “to sharpen.” Afiado is the past participle used adjectivally, meaning “sharpened” or “sharp.” In Portuguese, past participles of -ar verbs typically end in -ado.
How do adjectives agree in gender and number here?
Adjectives in Portuguese must match the noun’s gender and number. Afiado is masculine singular to agree with the masculine singular lápis. A feminine noun would take afiada, and plurals would be afiados or afiadas.
Can I say O lápis é afiado instead?
You can, but O lápis é afiado suggests that “the pencil is a sharp type of pencil” (a defining characteristic). Native speakers say O lápis está afiado when they mean “it is currently sharpened.”
Are there other verbs or words for making a pencil sharp?
Yes. Apontar also means “to sharpen” (especially pencils). You could say O lápis está apontado, but afiado stresses a very fine, precise edge.
How do you pronounce lápis and afiado?
• lápis: /ˈla.piʃ/ (“LÁ-pish”) – stress on the first syllable
• afiado: /a.fiˈa.du/ (“a-fi-A-do”) – stress on the penultimate syllable
Can está be contracted in casual speech?
Yes. Informally, está often becomes tá:
O lápis tá afiado.
This contraction is common in spoken Portuguese but should be avoided in formal writing.