Este livro é de 1950.

This book is from 1950.

Breakdown of Este livro é de 1950.

• ser: to be
• o livro: the book
• este: this
• de: from
• 1950: 1950

Questions & Answers about Este livro é de 1950.

Why is é used here instead of está?

In Portuguese, ser (é) and estar (está) are not interchangeable.

• Ser is used for:

  • Permanent or inherent characteristics
  • Identity, origin, material, time, dates

• Estar is used for:

  • Temporary states or conditions
  • Locations (mostly of people/objects)
  • Ongoing actions (with the gerund)

In Este livro é de 1950, we’re talking about an inherent fact about the book: the time it dates from. That’s seen as a permanent characteristic, so you must use ser:

• Este livro é de 1950. – This book is from 1950. (its date/origin)
• Esta cadeira é de madeira. – This chair is made of wood. (its material)

Using está here (✗ Este livro está de 1950) would be incorrect in standard Portuguese.

Why do we say de 1950 and not em 1950?

Both de and em can be translated as from / in depending on context, but here they are not interchangeable.

• é de 1950 literally: is of/from 1950
  → means it dates from 1950 / it originates from that year
  This is the natural way to say a book, film, building, song, etc. is from a certain year.

You could say:

• Este livro é de 1950. – The book dates from 1950.

But you cannot say:

• ✗ Este livro é em 1950.

Em 1950 is used with events or actions that happen in that year:

• O livro foi publicado em 1950. – The book was published in 1950.
• Em 1950, houve muitas mudanças. – In 1950, there were many changes.

So:

• é de 1950 → describes the book’s date/origin
• foi publicado em 1950 → describes when the action happened

What is the difference between este, esse, and aquele?

These are demonstrative adjectives/pronouns (this/that) and in European Portuguese they are used quite systematically:

• este / esta / estes / estas
  → this, these (near the speaker)

  • Este livro – this book (near me, the speaker)
  • Esta caneta – this pen

• esse / essa / esses / essas
  → that, those (near the listener, or just mentioned)

  • Esse livro – that book (near you, the listener)
  • Leste o livro? Esse livro é interessante. – You read the book? That book is interesting.

• aquele / aquela / aqueles / aquelas
  → that over there, those over there (far from both)

  • Aquele livro ali – that book over there
  • Aquela casa é antiga. – that house over there is old.

In your sentence, Este livro é de 1950 suggests the book is physically close to the speaker (e.g. in their hand or right in front of them), or at least mentally “in focus” from the speaker’s point of view.

Why don’t we say este o livro? Why is it just este livro?

In Portuguese, a demonstrative like este already works like a determiner (similar to the/this/that in English). You don’t normally combine este directly with the definite article o before a noun.

Correct:

• Este livro é de 1950. – This book is from 1950.
• Esse filme é longo. – That film is long.
• Aquele carro é caro. – That car over there is expensive.

Incorrect:

• ✗ Este o livro é de 1950.
• ✗ Aquele o carro é caro.

You can, however, find este + o when o is a pronoun and not an article:

• Este o fiz ontem. – This (thing), I did it yesterday.
  (Here o = “it”, not “the”)

For the basic “this + noun” structure, just use este livro, esta casa, etc.

Why is it este livro and not esta livro? How does gender agreement work here?

In Portuguese, adjectives and determiners must agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun.

• livro is masculine singular → o livro
• So you must use the masculine singular form este:
  • este livro – this book

Forms of este:

• Masculine singular: este (este livro)
• Feminine singular: esta (esta casa – this house)
• Masculine plural: estes (estes livros – these books)
• Feminine plural: estas (estas casas – these houses)

So:

• Este livro é de 1950. – correct (masculine + masculine)
• ✗ Esta livro é de 1950. – wrong (feminine + masculine)

Can I say Este livro foi escrito em 1950 instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, Este livro foi escrito em 1950 is correct, but it doesn’t mean exactly the same thing.

• Este livro é de 1950.
  → Focus: the book dates from 1950 / belongs to that year.
  It sounds like a general statement about the book’s date or period.

• Este livro foi escrito em 1950.
  → Focus: the action of writing it happened in 1950.
  You’re explicitly talking about when the author wrote it.

Often, both are true, but the emphasis is different:

• Museum guide: Este livro é de 1950. (classification, period)
• Literary discussion: O livro foi escrito em 1950, mas só foi publicado em 1955.
  (written in 1950, published in 1955)

Can I say just O livro é de 1950 instead of Este livro é de 1950? What changes?

Yes, you can. Both are grammatically correct, but the nuance is different:

• Este livro é de 1950.
  → “This book is from 1950.”
  The book is singled out as this one here (physically present or very clearly indicated).

• O livro é de 1950.
  → “The book is from 1950.”
  You are referring to a specific book that is already known from context, but not necessarily pointing at it as “this one here”. It’s like the book in English.

Examples:

• In a shop, pointing at a book:
  Este livro é de 1950.
• In a conversation where the book was already introduced:
  O livro é de 1950, mas a edição é recente.

What is the grammatical role of de 1950 in this sentence?

In Este livro é de 1950, the structure is:

• Este livro – subject
• é – verb (3rd person singular of ser)
• de 1950 – prepositional phrase functioning as a predicative complement (also called predicate nominative/complement of the subject)

The pattern is:

• [Subject] + ser + [complement]

Other examples of the same pattern:

• Este livro é de História. – This book is (a book) of History.
• A mesa é de madeira. – The table is (made) of wood.
• O filme é de 1990. – The film is from 1990.

So de 1950 tells us something about the subject este livro (its date/origin).

Could I put de 1950 before the noun, like Este de 1950 livro?

No. That word order is not natural in Portuguese.

You have two typical options:

1. As a predicate, after ser (your original sentence):

   • Este livro é de 1950.

2. As a modifier directly after the noun:

   • Este livro de 1950 é muito interessante.
     → This 1950 book is very interesting. / This book from 1950 is very interesting.

What you cannot do is insert de 1950 between the demonstrative and the noun:

• ✗ Este de 1950 livro – incorrect

So either:

• Este livro é de 1950. (statement about date)
• Este livro de 1950… (describing which book you mean)

How is é de pronounced in European Portuguese, and is there any linking?

In European Portuguese:

• é is pronounced roughly like open “eh” /ɛ/ (short and stressed).
• de is usually [dɨ] in unstressed position (something like “dɨ”), often very reduced.

In normal speech, é de tends to sound like a smooth sequence, often close to:

• [ˈɛ dɨ] – something like "EH dɨ"

The d in de is pronounced; it doesn’t disappear, but de itself is weak and reduced. So the sentence might sound like:

• [ˈeʃtɨ ˈlivɾu ɛ dɨ mil ˈsɐ̃kʊ e ˈsĩku] (roughly)
  → Este livro é de mil novecentos e cinquenta.

There’s no extra sound added between é and de; they just run together naturally.