O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu.

My brother is more extroverted than I am.

Breakdown of O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu.

• eu: I
• ser: to be
• meu: my
• mais: more
• do que: than
• o irmão: the brother
• extrovertido: extroverted

Questions & Answers about O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu.

Why do we say o meu irmão instead of just meu irmão?

In European Portuguese, possessive adjectives (meu, minha, teu, seu, etc.) are very often used with a definite article:

• o meu irmão = literally the my brother → my brother
• a minha mãe = my mother
• os meus amigos = my friends

Using the article is the default, neutral way to speak in Portugal. Saying just meu irmão is not wrong, but:

• it sounds more emphatic, literary, or poetic, or
• it’s used in some fixed expressions (e.g. meu Deus! = my God!)

So for everyday speech in Portugal, o meu irmão is the normal choice.

What does irmão mean exactly? Is it any sibling or specifically a brother?

Irmão means brother (male sibling).

• o irmão = the brother
• a irmã = the sister
• os irmãos can mean brothers or brothers and sisters (mixed group)

So o meu irmão is clearly my brother (male). If you wanted my sister, you’d say a minha irmã.

Why is meu masculine and minha feminine? How does agreement work here?

Possessives in Portuguese agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to, not with the person who possesses.

• o meu irmão → irmão is masculine singular → meu (masc. sing.)
• a minha irmã → irmã is feminine singular → minha (fem. sing.)
• os meus irmãos → irmãos is masculine plural → meus
• as minhas irmãs → irmãs is feminine plural → minhas

So you choose meu / minha / meus / minhas based on the noun (irmão / irmã / irmãos / irmãs), not based on the speaker’s gender.

Why is it é and not está in this sentence?

Portuguese distinguishes between:

• ser (to be) → essential, permanent, or characteristic qualities
• estar (to be) → temporary states, conditions, locations

Being extroverted is treated as a character trait, not a temporary mood. So you use ser:

• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu.
  My brother is more extroverted than I am. (a general personality trait)

You’d use estar with something more temporary:

• O meu irmão está mais animado do que eu hoje.
  My brother is more lively than I am today.

How does the comparative structure mais extrovertido do que work?

This is the regular comparative of superiority in Portuguese:

• mais + adjective + (do) que = more + adjective + than

So:

• mais extrovertido do que eu = more extroverted than I (am)

Some more examples:

• Ela é mais alta do que eu. – She is taller than I am.
• O filme foi mais interessante do que o livro. – The film was more interesting than the book.

The verb after the second part is often omitted in Portuguese, as in English:

• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu (sou).
  The sou (am) is understood and usually left out.

Why is it do que and not just que after mais extrovertido?

You’ll see both in real usage:

• mais extrovertido que eu
• mais extrovertido do que eu

Grammatically, do que is de + o que (a contraction). Traditional grammar often recommends do que after a comparative with “mais” or “menos”, especially in writing in Portugal:

• mais… do que…
• menos… do que…

In everyday speech, many people (in both Portugal and Brazil) simply say mais… que… without the do. So:

• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido que eu. – also very common.

For a learner of European Portuguese, it’s safe and slightly more formal to learn mais … do que … as your default pattern.

Why is it do que eu and not do que mim?

In normal standard grammar, you use subject pronouns (like eu) in this type of comparison:

• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu (sou).

The logic is: the comparison actually hides a verb:

• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu sou.

Because eu is the subject of the understood verb sou, you must use eu, not mim.

• eu = subject form (like I)
• mim = object form after a preposition (like me in to me, for me)

You use mim when there is no hidden verb and you clearly have a preposition:

• Para mim, ele é muito extrovertido. – For me, he is very extroverted.
• Ele falou comigo. – He spoke with me.

So: do que eu, not do que mim, in standard language here.

Could I also say O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu sou? Is that more correct?

Yes, you can say:

• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu sou.

This is fully correct and sometimes a bit more explicit, but in natural speech people almost always drop the second verb when it’s the same as the first:

• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu. (most natural)
• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu sou. (correct, but usually unnecessary)

So both are grammatically right; the shorter one is more idiomatic.

Does extrovertido have to agree with irmão? What would it look like with a sister or plural?

Yes. Adjectives in Portuguese agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

• Masculine singular: extrovertido

  • O meu irmão é extrovertido.

• Feminine singular: extrovertida

  • A minha irmã é mais extrovertida do que eu.

• Masculine plural: extrovertidos

  • Os meus irmãos são mais extrovertidos do que eu.

• Feminine plural: extrovertidas

  • As minhas irmãs são mais extrovertidas do que eu.

In your sentence, irmão is masculine singular, so you must use extrovertido.

Is there any difference between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese in a sentence like this?

The sentence is correct in both varieties, but usage tends to differ:

• Possessive with article

  • Portugal: O meu irmão (article is the normal choice)
  • Brazil: both meu irmão and o meu irmão occur; many Brazilians more often omit the article in speech (meu irmão).

• Comparative connector

  • Both: mais … do que … and mais … que … are used.
  • Formal writing usually prefers do que.

So in Brazil you’d very naturally hear:

• Meu irmão é mais extrovertido que eu.

In Portugal, a very natural version is exactly your sentence:

• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu.

Can I reverse the comparison and say “I am less extroverted than my brother” in Portuguese?

Yes, that’s perfectly possible. You’d switch to menos (= less):

• Eu sou menos extrovertido do que o meu irmão.

This is logically equivalent to:

• O meu irmão é mais extrovertido do que eu.

Again, adjust the adjective for gender/number:

• Eu sou menos extrovertida do que o meu irmão. (if the speaker is female)

Why is there an accent on é? How is it different from e?

The accent on é serves two purposes:

1. Pronunciation:

   • é is stressed and open, like the e in English “bet”.
   • e (unaccented) is often unstressed and may sound more like a schwa or like “ee” depending on position.

2. Meaning:

   • é = is (3rd person singular of ser)
   • e (without accent) = and

Compare:

• O meu irmão é extrovertido e eu sou tímido.
  My brother is extroverted and I am shy.

Here é = is, and e = and.

How do you pronounce irmão and what is that ão sound?

Irmão is pronounced roughly like: eer-MAUN (European Portuguese, with a nasal final vowel).

Key points:

• ir- → like “eer” but shorter.
• -mão → the -ão is a nasal diphthong, a very characteristic Portuguese sound.

For ão:

• Start with something like English “ow” in “cow”,
• but nasalize it (allow the sound to resonate in your nose) and don’t release a clear final w.

So irmão ≈ [iɾˈmɐ̃w̃] in IPA (European Portuguese).

The nasal ã / ão / ãe group takes practice, but you’ll hear ão in many words: não, cão, pão, irmão.

Is extrovertido the only or most natural word for “extroverted” in Portugal?

Extrovertido is a very common, natural word in both Portugal and Brazil for personality:

• Ele é muito extrovertido. – He is very extroverted.

You might also occasionally see:

• extravertido – a more etymologically “correct” spelling (from Latin), but extrovertido is much more widespread in everyday language.
• sociável – “sociable”; not exactly the same, but often overlaps in meaning.

For everyday use in Portugal, extrovertido / extrovertida is exactly what you want.