O Pedro é introvertido, mas a irmã dele é extrovertida e fala com toda a gente.

Pedro is introverted, but his sister is extroverted and talks to everyone.

Breakdown of O Pedro é introvertido, mas a irmã dele é extrovertida e fala com toda a gente.

• ser: to be
• Pedro: Pedro
• mas: but
• e: and
• dele: his
• com: with
• falar: to talk
• a irmã: the sister
• toda a gente: everyone
• introvertido: introverted
• extrovertido: extroverted

Questions & Answers about O Pedro é introvertido, mas a irmã dele é extrovertida e fala com toda a gente.

Why does the sentence say O Pedro with the article o? In English we just say “Pedro”, not “the Pedro”.

In European Portuguese it’s very common to use the definite article with people’s names:

• O Pedro = Pedro
• A Maria = Maria

It usually suggests familiarity and is completely normal in everyday speech in Portugal.

You can also say Pedro é introvertido… without the article; that sounds a bit more neutral or formal, and is more common in writing. Both are correct in European Portuguese.

Why is it é introvertido and not está introvertido?

Portuguese distinguishes between:

• ser (é) = more permanent or defining characteristics
• estar (está) = temporary states or conditions

Personality traits are considered part of who you are, so you use ser:

• O Pedro é introvertido. = Pedro is introverted (as a personality trait).

You would only use estar with adjectives that describe temporary states:

• O Pedro está cansado. = Pedro is tired (right now).

Why is it introvertido for Pedro but extrovertida for the sister?

Adjectives in Portuguese must agree in gender and number with the noun:

• Pedro is masculine singular → introvertido (masc. sg.)
• a irmã (the sister) is feminine singular → extrovertida (fem. sg.)

Basic pattern for many adjectives:

• Masculine singular: -o → introvertido, extrovertido
• Feminine singular: -a → introvertida, extrovertida

So you must change the ending when the noun is feminine.

Why is it a irmã dele and not sua irmã or a irmã de ele?

Three points here:

1. The article “a”

   • a irmã = the sister
     In Portuguese you normally use the article with a specific family member:
   • a irmã dele = his sister (a specific sister)

2. Not “de ele” but “dele”

   • de + ele contracts to dele and is written as one word.
   • a irmã dele literally: the sister of him.

3. “dele” vs “sua irmã”

   • sua irmã can mean his sister, her sister, your sister (formal) – it’s ambiguous.
   • a irmã dele clearly means his sister.

Because of that ambiguity, Portuguese speakers very often prefer dele/dela after the noun instead of seu/sua.

What exactly does dele mean and does it change with gender?

dele is a possessive form meaning “his” (or “of him”):

• Formed from de + ele → dele.
• It does not change with the gender of the noun it refers to:
  • o livro dele = his book
  • a irmã dele = his sister

For her, you use:

• dela = de + ela → dela
  
  • a irmã dela = her sister
  • o carro dela = her car

What does mas mean here, and how is it different from mais?

• mas = but (contrast)

  • O Pedro é introvertido, mas a irmã dele é extrovertida.
    = Pedro is introverted, but his sister is extroverted.

• mais = more

  • mais alto = taller / more tall
  • mais gente = more people

They are pronounced differently:

• mas: short, like “mush” without the “h” (≈ muhs).
• mais: like English “mice” (≈ maɪsh in many accents).

Spelling confusion between mas and mais is very common for learners.

Why is there no ela in the part “e fala com toda a gente”? Shouldn’t it be “e ela fala…”?

Portuguese is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns (eu, tu, ele, ela, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending and context already show who the subject is.

In the sentence:

• …a irmã dele é extrovertida e fala com toda a gente.

The subject of fala is still a irmã dele, understood from the previous clause.
You can say “e ela fala com toda a gente”, but it’s not necessary and is often left out unless you want extra emphasis on ela.

Why is it fala com and not fala a or fala para?

With falar (to speak/talk), you choose the preposition based on the meaning:

• falar com alguém = talk with/to someone (interaction, conversation)
  
  • Ela fala com toda a gente. = She talks with everyone.

Other common patterns:

• falar a / falar para alguém
  
  • more like speak to someone (direction of speech, a bit one‑way).
  • e.g. O professor fala para os alunos. – The teacher speaks to the students.

In this sentence, we want the idea that she socializes, chats, interacts with people, so falar com is the natural choice.

What does toda a gente literally mean, and is the verb singular or plural?

Literally:

• toda = all / every (feminine singular)
• a = the
• gente = people

So toda a gente is like “all the people”, but it functions as “everybody / everyone” in English.

Grammatically, in European Portuguese:

• toda a gente is treated as singular,
• so the verb is 3rd person singular:
  
  • toda a gente fala (not falam).

Equivalent expressions:

• toda a gente (more typical in Portugal)
• todas as pessoas = all the people
• In Brazil, you’ll very often hear todo mundo instead.

How do you pronounce tricky words like irmã and gente in this sentence?

Key words:

• Pedro – PE-dru

  • First syllable stressed.
  • Portuguese r in -dro is usually a soft flap [ɾ].

• irmã – ir-MÃ

  • Stress on the second syllable.
  • ã is a nasal vowel: let air flow through the nose; don’t fully pronounce a final n sound.

• dele – DE-le

  • First syllable stressed, like “DEH-leh”.

• gente – ZHEN-te (European Portuguese)

  • g before e makes a soft sound, like the s in “measure” ([ʒ]).
  • Stress on the first syllable.

If you put it all together in European Portuguese rhythm, the sentence flows roughly like:

[u 'pe.dɾu e ĩ.tɾo.veɾ.'ti.ðu mɐz a iɾ.'mɐ 'de.le eʃ.tɾo.veɾ.'ti.ðɐ i 'fa.lɐ kõ 'to.ðɐ ʒẽ.tɨ] (approximate IPA).