Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Este livro novo é divertido.

este / esta – this (near the speaker)
esse / essa – that (near the listener or just mentioned)
aquele / aquela – that (over there) (far from both people, or more distant in time/space)

In Este livro novo é divertido, este suggests the book is close to the speaker (physically, or in the “here and now” of the conversation), so este is the natural choice.

In European Portuguese, people do also use esse a bit more loosely in speech, but if you want to be safe and precise:

book in your hand: este livro
book in the other person’s hand: esse livro
book on a distant shelf: aquele livro

Why is there no article (o) before livro? Why not Este o livro novo é divertido?

Demonstratives like este, esse, aquele already “do the job” of the article, so you normally do not add o / a / os / as before the noun:

este livro – this book
esse livro – that book
aquele livro – that book over there

Saying Este o livro is ungrammatical in standard Portuguese.

You can have an article when the demonstrative stands alone, without a noun:

Este é o livro novo. – This is the new book.
(Here este replaces this one, and o goes with livro.)

Why do este, livro, and novo all end in -o? Is that agreement?

Yes. Portuguese has gender (masculine / feminine) and number (singular / plural) agreement.

livro is a masculine singular noun.
este is the masculine singular form of este / esta / estes / estas.
novo is the masculine singular form of novo / nova / novos / novas.

So everything matches:

este livro novo – this new book (masc. sg.)

Other possible forms would be:

esta casa nova – this new house (fem. sg.)
estes livros novos – these new books (masc. pl.)
estas casas novas – these new houses (fem. pl.)

All three words in the noun phrase must agree in gender and number.

Why is novo after livro? Can I say este novo livro instead?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance difference:

Este livro novo
- More concrete / physical idea of new: a brand‑new copy, not used, recently bought, not old.
- Focus on the state of the book: “this book (which is new) is fun.”
Este novo livro
- Often means this new book in the sense of recently made/produced/published or another book (in addition to others).
- More about the novelty or recency in the series or context, not just “not second‑hand”.

In practice, both are common, and context usually makes the meaning clear.
Word order of adjectives in Portuguese can slightly shift the meaning or what you’re emphasizing.

Why is it é divertido and not está divertido?

Portuguese has two verbs for to be:

ser – describes more permanent or inherent characteristics.
estar – describes temporary states or conditions.

In Este livro novo é divertido:

é (from ser) says being fun is a general, inherent quality of the book. The book is, by nature, fun to read.

If you used está divertido about a book, it would sound odd or metaphorical in European Portuguese. Estar divertido is more common for:

a person who is in a fun mood:
- Hoje o João está divertido. – João is being fun today.
an event/party at this moment:
- A festa está divertida. – The party is fun (right now).

So:

é divertido → “it is (generally) fun”
está divertido → “it is (currently) fun / in a fun state” (more natural with people/events)

Does divertido mean fun or funny?

divertido usually means fun, entertaining, amusing, in the sense that something gives you enjoyment.

For funny (as in “it makes you laugh”), European Portuguese more often uses:

engraçado – funny / amusing

Examples:

O livro é divertido. – The book is fun.
O filme é engraçado. – The film is funny.

But there is overlap: a livro divertido will often also make you laugh; it’s just that divertido focuses more on the fun, enjoyable side than on pure comedy.

How would I say “These new books are fun”?

You need to put everything in the plural and keep agreement:

Estes livros novos são divertidos.

Breakdown:

estes – masculine plural of este (these)
livros – plural of livro
novos – masculine plural of novo
são – 3rd person plural of ser (are)
divertidos – masculine plural of divertido

So singular vs plural:

Este livro novo é divertido. – This new book is fun.
Estes livros novos são divertidos. – These new books are fun.

Where would I put “very” in this sentence? How do I say “This new book is very fun”?

You use muito before the adjective:

Este livro novo é muito divertido. – This new book is very fun.

Word order:

este (this)
livro (book)
novo (new)
é (is)
muito (very)
divertido (fun)

You don’t change the form of muito here; it stays muito before an adjective.

Can I say just O livro novo é divertido instead of Este livro novo é divertido?

Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly:

Este livro novo é divertido.
- This new book is fun.
- The demonstrative este singles out a specific book close to the speaker.
O livro novo é divertido.
- The new book is fun.
- More generic / definite: “the new book (the one we’ve already identified in context) is fun.”

So este is more like this particular one (here), whereas o just says the. Both are grammatically correct; choose according to what you want to express.

Is it possible to say “É divertido este livro novo”? Does that sound natural?

Yes, É divertido este livro novo is grammatically correct, but the focus changes:

Este livro novo é divertido.
- Neutral, most common order.
- Topic first (this new book), then comment (is fun).
É divertido este livro novo.
- Puts é divertido first, so it emphasizes the quality fun.
- Feels a bit more emphatic or stylistic, something you might hear in speech or in a written style aiming for variation.

In everyday neutral speech, Este livro novo é divertido is the default.

How do you pronounce livro, novo, and divertido in European Portuguese?

Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation (using English-friendly tips):

livro – /ˈli.vɾu/
- li like lee
- v as in very
- r is a soft tap (like the Spanish single r, or the American tt in butter)
- final o is a closed sound, like the o in go, but shorter.
novo – /ˈno.vu/
- no like no in English, but shorter
- v as in very
- final o again like a short o in go.
divertido – /di.vɛɾˈti.du/ (roughly)
- di like dee
- ver with an open é sound: like veh
- r again a soft tap
- ti like chee in European Portuguese (palatalized t)
- do like a short doe.

So the sentence in a rough “English spelling” might be:

Este livro novo é divertido. ≈ ES-t(ee) LEE-vru NO-vu EH dee-vehr-CHEE-du (very approximate).

Is livro novo always “brand‑new book”? Can it also mean “new to me” like in English?

Context matters, but there is a common tendency:

um livro novo
- often means a physically new book (not second‑hand, not old).
um novo livro
- often means a new book (another one / recently published).

Compare:

Comprei um livro novo.
- I bought a new (unused) book.
O autor lançou um novo livro.
- The author released a new book (a new title).

In Este livro novo é divertido, most listeners will first think of a book that is new as an object (recently bought, not old), though context can shift that meaning.