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Questions & Answers about Esta promoção termina hoje.
What does esta mean and why is it used here instead of este or essa?
Esta is a demonstrative determiner meaning this in the feminine singular form. It agrees in gender and number with promoção, which is a feminine noun.
- este (masculine singular) would match a masculine noun (e.g. este livro).
- essa (feminine near the listener) also agrees in gender but implies the item is closer to who you’re talking to, not to you.
- aquele/aquele (that over there) mark distance from both speaker and listener.
Why is there no subject pronoun before termina?
In Portuguese, subject pronouns (like ela for “she/it”) are often omitted because the verb ending -a in termina already tells you it’s 3rd person singular. Including Ela termina hoje is grammatically correct but usually redundant.
Why is termina in the present tense when it refers to something ending today? Can I use a future tense instead?
Portuguese frequently uses the present indicative for scheduled or imminent future events. Saying Esta promoção termina hoje literally means “This promotion ends today.” If you prefer a future form, you can also say:
- Esta promoção vai terminar hoje (periphrastic future)
- Esta promoção terminará hoje (simple future)
All are correct, but the present is the most natural for fixed deadlines.
Can I replace termina with acaba? Is there any difference?
Yes. Acabar can often substitute terminar in this context: Esta promoção acaba hoje.
- Terminar is slightly more formal/literal.
- Acabar is more colloquial and common in speech.
In practice, there’s very little difference in meaning here.
What’s the difference between esta (no accent) and está (with an accent)?
They look similar but are entirely different words:
- esta (no accent) is a demonstrative determiner meaning this.
- está (with an accent) is the 3rd-person singular present of estar meaning (he/she/it) is.
Pronunciation also changes: esta is stressed on the first syllable, está on the second.
Why is hoje at the end of the sentence? Could I put it somewhere else?
Portuguese word order is flexible for adverbs like hoje. You could say:
- Hoje esta promoção termina.
- Esta promoção hoje termina.
Moving hoje to the beginning emphasizes that today is the point of focus. Keeping it at the end groups termina hoje (“ends today”) as a unit.
How would I express this sentence in the plural?
Make everything agree in plural and gender:
Estas promoções terminam hoje
- esta → estas (feminine plural)
- promoção → promoções
- termina → terminam (3rd-person plural)