O jardim é enorme.

The garden is huge.

Breakdown of O jardim é enorme.

• ser: to be
• o jardim: the garden
• enorme: enormous

Questions & Answers about O jardim é enorme.

Why does the sentence start with O and not Um or no article at all?

O is the masculine singular definite article, equivalent to “the” in English.

• O jardim = the garden (a specific garden that both speakers know about).
• Um jardim = a garden (any garden, not a specific one).

Portuguese uses definite articles more often than English, especially when a specific thing is in mind.
So if in English you would normally say “The garden is huge”, in Portuguese you almost always need the article: O jardim é enorme.

Why is it O jardim and not A jardim? How do I know the gender of jardim?

Jardim is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine article o.

Unfortunately, grammatical gender is not always predictable from the ending, but some patterns help:

• Many masculine nouns end in -o, but also in other endings like -im:
  
  • o jardim (the garden)
  • o fim (the end)
• Many feminine nouns end in -a:
  
  • a casa (the house)
  • a mesa (the table)

However, there are many exceptions, so the safest way is:

• Learn each noun with its article: o jardim, a casa, etc.
• A dictionary will always tell you m. (masculine) or f. (feminine).

Why is the verb é and not está? What’s the difference here?

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

• É comes from ser and is used for permanent or defining characteristics.

  • O jardim é enorme. = The garden is huge (that’s its general, permanent quality).

• Está comes from estar and is used for temporary states or conditions.

  • O jardim está molhado. = The garden is wet (for now, because it rained).
  • O jardim está muito bonito hoje. = The garden looks very beautiful today.

Size is seen as an inherent property of the garden, not a temporary condition, so you use é, not está.

Why is the adjective enorme placed after the verb instead of before the noun, like in English?

The structure here is:

• [Subject] + [verb “to be”] + [adjective]
• O jardim é enorme. = The garden is huge.

This is similar to English: “The garden is huge.”
The adjective follows the verb “to be”, not the noun directly.

If you want to use the adjective directly with the noun (without “to be”), then in Portuguese the adjective usually goes after the noun:

• um jardim enorme = a huge garden
  (literally “a garden huge”)

So:

• O jardim é enorme. – The garden is huge.
• um jardim enorme – a huge garden.

Adjectives normally come after the noun in Portuguese when used attributively.

Does enorme change for masculine/feminine or singular/plural?

Enorme is:

• the same for masculine and feminine:
  • o jardim enorme (masculine)
  • a casa enorme (feminine)

But it changes for number:

• singular: enorme
• plural: enormes

Examples:

• O jardim é enorme. – The garden is huge.
• Os jardins são enormes. – The gardens are huge.
• A casa é enorme. – The house is huge.
• As casas são enormes. – The houses are huge.

How do I pronounce jardim and é in European Portuguese?

Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation:

• jardim ≈ “zhar-DEENG”

  • j = like the s in “measure” or “vision” (a “zh” sound)
  • r (between vowels) = a quick tap/flap, similar to a soft “d” in “ladder” in American English
  • di = like “dee”
  • m at the end makes the vowel nasal: -im ≈ “eeng” (with a nasal sound)

• é ≈ “eh”

  • Short, open sound, like “e” in “bet”, but more tense and a bit longer.

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

• O jardim é enorme. ≈ “oo zhar-DEENG eh eh-NOR-me” (with the stress on -NOR- in enorme).

Is there any agreement between jardim and enorme in this sentence?

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

In this sentence:

• jardim = masculine, singular
• enorme = singular (no separate masculine form for this adjective)

If it were plural:

• Os jardins são enormes. – The gardens are huge.
  
  • jardins (plural) → enormes (plural)

Could I say just “É enorme.” without “O jardim”?

Yes, in context you can drop O jardim if it’s obvious what you’re talking about.

For example:

• A: Viste o jardim novo? – Did you see the new garden?
• B: Vi, é enorme. – I saw it, (it) is huge.

Portuguese often omits the subject when it is clear from context, just like English can omit “it” in conversation sometimes.
But if you’re writing a complete, clear sentence out of context, you normally say O jardim é enorme.

Can I replace enorme with grande? What’s the difference?

Both mean it’s big, but the strength is different:

• grande = big, large
• enorme = huge, enormous (stronger than grande)

So:

• O jardim é grande. – The garden is big.
• O jardim é enorme. – The garden is huge / enormous (bigger or more emphatic than just “big”).

Both are natural in European Portuguese; you choose based on how big you want to say it is.

What is the plural of jardim, and how would the whole sentence look in the plural?

The plural of jardim is jardins.

To make the whole sentence plural:

• O jardim é enorme. – The garden is huge.
• Os jardins são enormes. – The gardens are huge.

Changes:

• O → Os (definite article, singular → plural, masculine)
• jardim → jardins (add -s; note the final m becomes ns in spelling)
• é → são (third-person singular → plural of ser)
• enorme → enormes (adjective singular → plural)

Is jardim always “garden,” or can it mean “yard” like in English?

In European Portuguese:

• jardim is mainly “garden” (a place with plants, flowers, maybe lawn, cared for as a garden).
• quintal is more like “backyard” or “yard”, especially a more practical outdoor space.

So:

• O jardim é enorme. – The garden is huge. (ornamental / landscaped area)
• O quintal é enorme. – The yard is huge. (practical outdoor area, often behind the house)

Context can blur the distinction a bit, but in Portugal jardim strongly suggests an actual garden.