Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.
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?