A espera no aeroporto é longa.

The wait at the airport is long.

Breakdown of A espera no aeroporto é longa.

• ser: to be
• em: at
• o aeroporto: the airport
• longo: long
• a espera: the wait

Questions & Answers about A espera no aeroporto é longa.

What is espera here – a verb or a noun, and why is it feminine?

In A espera no aeroporto é longa, espera is a noun, not a verb.

• It comes from the verb esperar (to wait), but here it means “the wait / the waiting time”.
• Many nouns in Portuguese ending in -a are feminine, and espera follows that pattern.

Because espera is a feminine noun, it takes the feminine article a and feminine adjective longa:

• a espera longa = the long wait

Why do we say A espera and not just Espera no aeroporto é longa? Can the article be omitted?

In this kind of generic, descriptive sentence, Portuguese usually requires the definite article:

• A espera no aeroporto é longa. ✅
• Espera no aeroporto é longa. ❌ (sounds wrong / incomplete)

Portuguese uses definite articles more often than English. Where English would say “Waiting at the airport is long” or “The wait at the airport is long”, Portuguese prefers the version with the article: A espera…

Why is it é longa and not é longo?

The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes:

• Noun: a espera → feminine singular
• Adjective: longo / longa

So you must use the feminine singular form:

• A espera é longa. ✅
• A espera é longo. ❌

If the noun were masculine, it would change:

• O caminho é longo. (The path is long.)

Why is it é longa with ser, and not está longa with estar?

Ser is used for more general, characteristic descriptions; estar is used for temporary states or current conditions, often with a comparison or contrast.

• A espera no aeroporto é longa.
  → Describes the wait at airports in general; it’s characteristically long.

• Hoje a espera no aeroporto está longa.
  → Describes a specific situation today; it’s unusually long right now.

So in your sentence, we use é because we’re stating a general fact or habitual reality.

What does no in no aeroporto mean exactly?

No is a contraction of the preposition em + the masculine singular article o:

• em + o = no → “in the / at the” (masculine singular)

So:

• no aeroporto = em + o aeroporto = “at the airport / in the airport”

Similarly:

• na casa = em + a casa (feminine)
• nos aeroportos = em + os aeroportos (masculine plural)

Can I change the word order and say A espera é longa no aeroporto?

Yes, you can:

• A espera no aeroporto é longa.
• A espera é longa no aeroporto.

Both are grammatically correct and mean essentially the same thing.

The original version A espera no aeroporto é longa sounds slightly more neutral and natural in everyday speech.
A espera é longa no aeroporto puts a bit more focus at the end on “at the airport.”

How would I make this sentence plural, as in “The waits at airports are long”?

You need to pluralize the noun, article, preposition contraction, and adjective:

• A espera → As esperas
• no aeroporto → nos aeroportos
  
  • no = em + o → nos = em + os
• é longa → são longas

Full sentence:

• As esperas nos aeroportos são longas.
  = The waits at airports are long.

Could I say Esperar no aeroporto é longo instead of A espera no aeroporto é longa?

No, Esperar no aeroporto é longo is not natural Portuguese.

You can use the infinitive esperar as the subject, but then you normally describe it with an adjective that fits the activity, not “long” directly:

• Esperar no aeroporto é cansativo.
  → Waiting at the airport is tiring.
• Esperar no aeroporto é chato.
  → Waiting at the airport is boring.

To talk specifically about length/duration, Portuguese prefers the noun:

• A espera no aeroporto é longa. ✅

Is there any difference between A espera no aeroporto é longa and something like O tempo de espera no aeroporto é longo?

Both are correct, but the nuance is slightly different:

• A espera no aeroporto é longa.
  → More general and natural in speech; focuses on the wait itself.

• O tempo de espera no aeroporto é longo.
  → More explicit, a bit more formal or technical; literally “The waiting time at the airport is long.”

Grammatically:

• a espera (feminine) → longa
• o tempo (masculine) → longo

How do you pronounce espera and aeroporto in European Portuguese?

In European Portuguese (PT-PT):

• espera: roughly [ʃ-PEH-rɐ]

  • The “es” at the start sounds like English “sh”: “sh-PEH-ra”
  • Final -a is reduced, more like -ɐ (a very short, weak “uh” sound).

• aeroporto: roughly [a-eh-ro-POR-tu]

  • Break it as: a-e-ro-POR-to
  • r in por is a strong guttural [ʁ] in most European accents.
  • Final -o is also often reduced (not a full English “oh”).

Could I say A espera no aeroporto é muito longa to mean “The wait at the airport is very long”?

Yes, that’s exactly how you say it:

• A espera no aeroporto é longa.
  → The wait at the airport is long.

• A espera no aeroporto é muito longa.
  → The wait at the airport is very long.

muito goes before the adjective and does not change form here:

• muito longa, muito longo, muito longas, muito longos (the muito stays the same).

Is this sentence the same in Brazilian and European Portuguese?

Yes, A espera no aeroporto é longa is perfectly correct and natural in both European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese.

Pronunciation differs, but:

• The vocabulary,
• The grammar, and
• The article/preposition use

are the same in this specific sentence.