Este filme é o meu favorito.

Portuguese has three main demonstratives:

• este / esta / estes / estas – this/these (close to the speaker)
• esse / essa / esses / essas – that/those (close to the listener, or just mentioned)
• aquele / aquela / aqueles / aquelas – that/those over there (far from both, or more distant in time/space)

In Este filme é o meu favorito, este suggests:

• the film is physically close (e.g. on screen now, in your hand, right here), or
• it has just been very clearly identified (e.g. you point to a poster and say it).

You could also hear:

• Esse filme é o meu favorito – more like that film (maybe on TV the other person is watching).
• Aquele filme é o meu favorito – that film over there / that one from before (more distance).

All three are grammatically correct; the choice depends on how “near” the film feels in space or context.

Portuguese uses two verbs for to be:

• ser (here: é) – for permanent characteristics, identity, classification
• estar (here: está) – for temporary states, locations, conditions

In Este filme é o meu favorito, you are:

• classifying the film within a category (your favourites)
• stating something seen as stable or part of your tastes/identity

So Portuguese uses ser:
é o meu favorito ≈ it is my favorite (film) as a general fact.

If you said Este filme está o meu favorito, it would be incorrect.

In European Portuguese, possessive adjectives (meu, tua, seu, nossa…) are normally used with a definite article:

• o meu livro – my book
• a tua casa – your house
• os nossos amigos – our friends

So the most natural form is:

• o meu favorito – literally the my favorite (one)

You can drop the article (meu favorito) in certain contexts (informal, poetic, titles, or for emphasis), but in standard everyday European Portuguese, with the article is the default and safest choice.

So Este filme é o meu favorito sounds neutral and natural in Portugal.

Yes, it is grammatically correct, and everyone will understand you.

However:

• In European Portuguese, Este filme é o meu favorito is more natural and standard.
• Este filme é meu favorito may sound a bit more informal or stylistic, and it’s also more typical of Brazilian Portuguese, where dropping the article with possessives is more common.

So in Portugal, prefer Este filme é o meu favorito, especially in careful or formal speech.

Adjectives in Portuguese agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.

• filme is masculine singular: o filme
• Therefore, the adjective must also be masculine singular: favorito

So:

• o filme favorito – the favorite film
• a música favorita – the favorite song (because música is feminine)
• os filmes favoritos – the favorite films (masculine plural)
• as músicas favoritas – the favorite songs (feminine plural)

In o meu favorito, the word filme is omitted, but favorito still agrees with the implied masculine noun filme.

This is a common pattern in Portuguese (and in English too):

• English: This film is my favorite (one). – you can drop one.
• Portuguese: Este filme é o meu favorito (filme). – you can drop filme.

The noun filme is understood from context (it appears earlier in the sentence), so you can leave only:

• the article: o
• the possessive: meu
• the adjective: favorito

Together they function as “my favorite one”, referring back to filme.

Both can usually be translated as This is my favorite film, but there’s a subtle difference in structure:

1. Este filme é o meu favorito

   • Subject: Este filme
   • Complement: o meu favorito (my favorite one – film is implied)
   • Literally: This film is my favorite (one).

2. Este é o meu filme favorito

   • Subject: Este (this)
   • Complement: o meu filme favorito (my favorite film)
   • Literally: This is my favorite film.

In practice:

• They mean almost the same in everyday speech.
• Este filme é o meu favorito sounds slightly more like talking about that specific film among others.
• Este é o meu filme favorito sounds slightly more like identifying “this” as your favorite film.

Both are very natural in European Portuguese.

No, those orders are not natural in Portuguese.

Correct patterns are:

• With the noun present:
  • o meu filme favorito – my favorite film
• With the noun omitted (understood from context):
  • o meu favorito – my favorite (one)

Wrong / very unnatural:

• o meu favorito filme – sounds foreign / incorrect
• este é o favorito meu – grammatically odd and not idiomatic

General guidelines:

• Possessives (meu, tua, seu…) normally go before the noun:
  o meu filme, a tua casa
• Most adjectives go after the noun:
  filme favorito, casa grande

So: o meu filme favorito and o meu favorito are the natural combinations.

Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation (IPA):

• Este – ['eʃ.tɨ] or ['eʃ.ti]
• filme – ['fiɫ.mɨ] (the l is “dark”, like in British film)
• é – [ɛ] (open e, like “eh”)
• o – often [u] in connected speech (sounds like “oo”)
• meu – [meu]
• favorito – [fɐ.vo.'ɾi.tu]

Spoken smoothly, something like:

['eʃ.tɨ 'fiɫ.mɨ ɛ u 'meu fɐ.vo.'ɾi.tu]

Key points:

• Final -e in filme is a reduced vowel (not like English “filmee”).
• é is short and open: “eh”.
• The r in favorito is a single tapped r, like the tt in American “better” when pronounced quickly.

Yes, Este filme é o meu favorito is perfectly correct and understandable in Brazilian Portuguese too.

Differences you might notice:

• Article with possessive:

  • Brazil often says Esse filme é meu favorito (dropping o).
  • In Portugal, É o meu favorito is more standard.

• Demonstrative choice:

  • Brazilians are more likely to say Esse filme é o meu favorito when talking about something being watched or just mentioned (using esse more).

• Pronunciation is also quite different, but the grammar and vocabulary of the sentence are valid in both varieties.