Log inSign up

Portugal é um país bonito.

Portugal é um país bonito.
Portugal is a beautiful country.

Breakdown of Portugal é um país bonito.

ser
to be
um
a
bonito
beautiful
Portugal
Portugal
o país
the country
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Portuguese now

Questions & Answers about Portugal é um país bonito.

Why is it é and not está in this sentence?

Portuguese has two verbs for to be: ser and estar.

  • ser (here: é) is used for:
    • permanent characteristics
    • defining what something is
  • estar (here: está) is used for:
    • temporary states or conditions
    • locations (most of the time)

In Portugal é um país bonito, we are describing a general, permanent characteristic of Portugal. We’re saying what kind of country Portugal is, not how it is right now.

So:

  • Portugal é um país bonito. = Portugal is a beautiful country (by nature).
  • Portugal está bonito hoje. = Portugal looks beautiful today (temporary situation, e.g. good weather).
Why is there an accent on é?

The accent on é serves two main purposes:

  1. Stress: It shows that this syllable is stressed: É is pronounced like the English “eh” but a bit tenser and shorter.
  2. Meaning: It distinguishes é (he/she/it is, you [formal] are) from e (which means and).

So:

  • é = is / are (from the verb ser)
  • e = and

Example:

  • Portugal é bonito e grande.
    Portugal is beautiful and big.
Why do we say um país bonito and not o país bonito?

Um is the indefinite article: a / an.
O is the definite article: the.

  • Portugal é um país bonito.
    Focuses on what kind of thing Portugal is: it is a beautiful country (one beautiful country among many).

  • Portugal é o país bonito.
    Grammatically possible, but strange in isolation. It would mean something like Portugal is the beautiful country (as opposed to some other non‑beautiful one). You’d need context where several countries have been mentioned and one is picked out as “the beautiful one”.

So in a neutral, general statement of description, um país bonito is the natural choice.

Why is it bonito and not bonita?

Adjectives in Portuguese must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

  • país is a masculine singular noun.
  • The basic masculine singular form of the adjective is bonito.
  • So we say: um país bonito.

Other forms:

  • Masculine singular: bonito – um país bonito (a beautiful country)
  • Feminine singular: bonita – uma cidade bonita (a beautiful city)
  • Masculine plural: bonitos – países bonitos (beautiful countries)
  • Feminine plural: bonitas – cidades bonitas (beautiful cities)
How do you pronounce Portugal é um país bonito in European Portuguese?

Very roughly (using English-like sounds):

  • Portugal ≈ poor-too-GAL
    • First syllable Por- has a slightly more closed o, not like English “por”.
    • Stress is on -gal.
  • é ≈ eh (short, clear)
  • um ≈ a nasal sound oõ (like “oo” with air going through the nose; there is no clear “m” sound at the end)
  • país ≈ pa-EESH
    • Two syllables: pa-ís, stress on the second.
    • Final s often sounds like sh in European Portuguese.
  • bonito ≈ boo-NEE-too
    • Stress on -ni-.

Connected, it flows something like:
poor-too-GAL eh oõ pa-EESH boo-NEE-too

Could I say Portugal é país bonito without um?

No, that sounds incorrect in this context.

In Portuguese, you usually need an article (definite or indefinite) before a singular, countable noun used as a complement like this.

So:

  • ✅ Portugal é um país bonito.
  • ❌ Portugal é país bonito. (unnatural and generally incorrect)

There are some special idiomatic cases where the article is dropped (mostly in set expressions, jobs, roles, etc.), but país here needs um.

Why is Portugal capitalized, but país bonito is not?

Capitalization rules in Portuguese are similar to English:

  • Proper nouns (names of specific places, people, etc.) are capitalized:

    • Portugal
    • Lisboa
    • Europa

  • Common nouns and adjectives are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence:

    • país (country)
    • bonito (beautiful)

So:

  • Portugal é um país bonito.
  • O Brasil é um país grande.
Why does the adjective come after the noun: país bonito, not bonito país?

The normal position of adjectives in Portuguese is after the noun:

  • um país bonito – a beautiful country
  • uma casa grande – a big house
  • um livro interessante – an interesting book

Sometimes adjectives can come before the noun, but this often changes the emphasis or style:

  • um bonito país is possible, but:
    • sounds more poetic or expressive
    • often adds a subjective, emotional tone

For a neutral, everyday description, you should learn the default pattern:
noun + adjective → país bonito.

What’s the difference between bonito, lindo, and belo?

All three can mean beautiful, but with different flavors and usage:

  • bonito
    • Very common, neutral.
    • Used for people, things, places.
    • Closest to “pretty” / “nice-looking” / “beautiful”.
  • lindo
    • Stronger, more emotional: “gorgeous”, “lovely”.
    • Common in compliments: Que país tão lindo! (What a gorgeous country!)
  • belo
    • More formal or literary, sometimes old-fashioned in everyday speech.
    • Common in written language, speeches, or fixed expressions: uma bela paisagem (a beautiful landscape).

In your sentence, bonito is the most neutral and natural word.

Is país masculine or feminine, and how is the plural formed?

País is masculine singular.

  • Singular:

    • o país – the country
    • um país bonito – a beautiful country

  • Plural:

    • os países – the countries
    • países bonitos – beautiful countries

The plural is formed by:

  • adding -es to the singular: país → países
  • the stress stays on the last syllable: pa-ÍS → pa-Í-ses
Could I just say Portugal é bonito instead of Portugal é um país bonito?

Yes, you can say Portugal é bonito, and it is natural.

However, the nuance is slightly different:

  • Portugal é bonito.

    • Portugal is beautiful (as a place in general).
    • Focus directly on Portugal itself.

  • Portugal é um país bonito.

    • Portugal is a beautiful country.
    • Focuses on what kind of thing Portugal is (a country, and that country is beautiful).

Both are correct and commonly used; the second one is simply more explicit.

What are the other forms of the indefinite article like um?

The indefinite article in Portuguese has four forms and must agree with the noun in gender and number:

  • um – masculine singular
    • um país bonito – a beautiful country
  • uma – feminine singular
    • uma cidade bonita – a beautiful city
  • uns – masculine plural
    • uns países bonitos – some beautiful countries
  • umas – feminine plural
    • umas cidades bonitas – some beautiful cities

In Portugal é um país bonito, we use um because país is masculine singular.

Is there any contraction with um in this sentence, like there is with prepositions and articles?

Not in this sentence.

Portuguese often contracts preposition + article, for example:

  • em + um = num
    • num país bonito – in a beautiful country
  • de + um = dum (very common in speech, but more informal in writing)
    • dum país bonito – of/from a beautiful country

However, in Portugal é um país bonito, um is not combined with a preposition; it follows the verb é directly. There is no contraction:

  • ✅ Portugal é um país bonito.
  • ❌ Portugal é num país bonito. (would mean “Portugal is in a beautiful country”, which makes no sense)

So here, um stays separate.