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Questions & Answers about O vinho está ácido.
Why is it está and not é?
In Portuguese, estar describes a temporary or current state (how something tastes right now). Ser describes an inherent, defining quality.
- Este vinho está ácido. = This particular bottle/glass tastes acidic at the moment.
- Este vinho é ácido. = This wine (as a style/varietal/label) is acidic by nature.
Do I need the article o before vinho?
Yes. O vinho here means the specific wine in front of you. Portuguese uses definite articles more than English, even for general statements:
- Specific: O vinho está ácido.
- General statement: O vinho é ácido (Wine is acidic, in general). Without the article, vinho sounds like an unspecified quantity (e.g., Queres vinho? = Do you want wine?).
Why does ácido end with -o? How does agreement work?
Adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number.
- Masculine singular: o vinho está ácido
- Feminine singular: a cerveja está ácida
- Masculine plural: os vinhos estão ácidos
- Feminine plural: as cervejas estão ácidas
How do I pronounce the sentence in European Portuguese?
Approximation:
- O ≈ “oo” [u] (very short)
- vinho ≈ “VEEN-nyoo” [ˈviɲu] (the nh is a palatal “ny,” like Spanish ñ)
- está ≈ “sh-TAH” [ʃˈta] (initial es- before a consonant sounds like “sh” in Portugal)
- ácido ≈ “AH-see-doo” [ˈa.si.du] (stress on á; final -o sounds close to “oo”)
Full: [u ˈviɲu ʃˈta ˈa.si.du].
What do the accents in está and ácido do? Can I drop them?
They’re required in writing.
- está (is) vs esta (this, feminine). The accent marks the stressed syllable and vowel quality.
- ácido needs the accent to show stress on the first syllable. Writing acido is wrong. Always keep the accents.
Does ácido mean “sour”? How is it different from other taste words?
- ácido: acidic/tart, referring to acidity level (often neutral/technical in wine).
- azedo: sour; can also imply “has gone off/turned.” Saying a wine is azedo often suggests a fault.
- avinagrado: vinegary (clear fault).
- amargo: bitter.
- seco: dry (low sugar), not the same as acidic.
- doce: sweet.
Is saying O vinho está ácido positive or negative?
Context matters:
- In casual talk, it often sounds negative (too sharp).
- In tasting/technical talk, it can be neutral or even positive, depending on style. You might add a qualifier: está equilibrado, está fresco, está demasiado ácido, etc.
How can I soften or intensify the statement?
Common modifiers in Portugal:
- O vinho está um pouco/um bocado ácido. (a bit)
- O vinho está muito ácido. (very)
- O vinho está demasiado ácido. (too acidic; Portugal prefers demasiado over demais for “too”)
How else can I talk about acidity in wine?
- O vinho tem muita acidez. (has a lot of acidity)
- A acidez é elevada.
- É um vinho de acidez vincada.
- Sabe ácido. / Tem um sabor ácido. (it tastes acidic)
Can I drop o vinho and just say Está ácido?
Yes. Portuguese is a pro‑drop language; if the context is clear (you’re holding the glass), Está ácido. is natural. You can also say Este vinho está ácido. to be explicit.
How do I make it negative or ask a question?
- Negative: O vinho não está ácido.
- Yes/no question (speech): same word order, rising intonation: O vinho está ácido?
- Written/explicit question: O vinho está ácido ou não?
Where can the adjective go? Can I say o ácido vinho?
With estar, the adjective follows the verb: O vinho está ácido. Attributively, adjectives usually follow the noun: vinho ácido (“acidic wine”). O ácido vinho is not idiomatic. Position can affect nuance, but for taste/quality, post‑noun is standard.
Any Europe–Brazil differences with this sentence?
Meaning and grammar are the same. Main differences:
- Pronunciation: Portugal tends to say está as [ʃˈta]; Brazil as [isˈta].
- Intensifier for “too”: Portugal favors demasiado; Brazil often uses demais.
What’s the gender of vinho, and does that affect other words?
Vinho is masculine. It controls articles and agreement:
- o vinho, um vinho, este vinho
- está ácido, muito ácido (masculine singular endings)
How would I compare acidity?
- Este vinho está mais ácido do que aquele. (more acidic than that one)
- Este vinho está menos ácido do que eu esperava. (less acidic than I expected)
- Superlative: É o mais ácido da prova.