O relógio é digital.

The clock is digital.

Breakdown of O relógio é digital.

• ser: to be
• o relógio: the clock
• digital: digital

Questions & Answers about O relógio é digital.

Why do we need O before relógio? Is it just like the in English?

O is the masculine singular definite article and usually corresponds to the in English.

In Portuguese, you normally must use an article before a singular, countable noun, even where English might omit the or a.

• O relógio é digital. → The watch/clock is digital.
• Relógio é digital. → Grammatically possible, but sounds like a headline, a label, or very telegraphic speech.

So, to make a normal, full sentence in European Portuguese, you say O relógio, not just Relógio.

How do I pronounce O relógio é digital in European Portuguese?

Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation (Lisbon area):

• O → [u] (like oo in food, but shorter)
• relógio → [ʁɨˈlɔʒju]
  
  • r → guttural sound, like French r
  • e → [ɨ], a very reduced vowel (similar to the final sound in roses)
  • stressed ló → [lɔ], like lo in lot
  • gio → [ʒju], like zh in vision
    • you
• é → [ɛ], open e, like e in bed
• digital → roughly [diʒiˈtaɫ]
  
  • di → [di], sometimes a bit softened but still close to dee
  • gi → [ʒi], zh
    • ee (like vision
      • ee)
  • stressed tal → [taɫ], final l is dark (tongue pulled back)

All together: [u ʁɨˈlɔʒju ɛ diʒiˈtaɫ] (very approximate).

Why is relógio masculine? How can I tell the gender?

In Portuguese, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine or feminine.

• relógio is masculine, so it takes o (the) and um (a/an):
  
  • o relógio (the watch/clock)
  • um relógio (a watch/clock)

There is no fully reliable rule that tells you gender only from meaning. Some tendencies:

• Many nouns ending in -o are masculine:
  
  • o carro (car), o livro (book), o relógio (watch/clock)
• Many nouns ending in -a are feminine:
  
  • a casa (house), a mesa (table)

But there are many exceptions, so you must learn the gender with each new noun:

• a foto (photo, short for fotografia) is feminine
• a mão (hand) is feminine, even though it doesn’t end in -a

So: remember o relógio as a fixed chunk.

What does the accent in relógio do? Why not write relogio?

The accent in relógio (on ó) has two main roles:

1. It marks the stressed syllable.

   • re-LÓ-gio → stress is on ló
     Without the accent, the word would look like it should be stressed on the second-to-last syllable (RE-lo-gio), which is wrong.

2. It indicates the vowel quality.

   • ó is an open o sound [ɔ], like o in lot, not like o in go.

So the accent tells you both where to stress the word and how to pronounce that vowel. Writing relogio would be considered a spelling mistake.

Why do we use é and not está here?

Portuguese has two verbs for to be: ser and estar.

• ser (é = he/she/it is) is used for permanent, essential, or defining characteristics.
• estar (está = he/she/it is) is used for temporary states or conditions.

In O relógio é digital, digital is an inherent property of this clock/watch. It is by nature a digital device, not something that temporarily changes like mood, location, or temperature.

So we use ser:

• O relógio é digital. → It is a digital clock by type.

Compare:

• O relógio está avariado. → The watch/clock is broken (a temporary state).
• O relógio é caro. → The watch/clock is expensive (seen as a characteristic).

So for type/class and nature, Portuguese uses é (from ser), not está (from estar).

Could I say O relógio está digital? What would that mean?

Normally, O relógio está digital sounds wrong or very strange.

Because estar is for temporary states, estar digital would suggest the watch has somehow become digital for a while, which doesn’t really make sense: digital vs analog is a type, not a passing condition.

The only way it might appear is in a very metaphorical or humorous context, for example if someone jokingly contrasts an old analogue mode vs a new digital mode in a very strange way. But in normal Portuguese you should not say O relógio está digital.

Use:

• O relógio é digital. (correct, natural)

Why is digital placed after the verb instead of directly after relógio? In English we say digital watch.

Portuguese allows two structures:

1. Predicate adjective (after the verb ser):

   • O relógio é digital. → literally The watch is digital.
     Here, digital comes after the verb, just like English: is digital.

2. Attributive adjective (directly with the noun):

   • um relógio digital → a digital watch
     Here the adjective follows the noun: relógio digital, not digital relógio.

So:

• In a sentence with ser, you naturally put the adjective after the verb:
  O relógio é digital.
• When describing the type of object, you usually put the adjective after the noun:
  um relógio digital, um carro novo, uma casa grande.

You can say both:

• O relógio é digital.
• É um relógio digital.

Both are correct; the word order simply follows different patterns than in English.

Is digital the same word as in English? Does it have other meanings in Portuguese?

Yes, digital is very similar to English digital, but it has a couple of uses in Portuguese:

1. Related to digits / electronic technology

   • relógio digital – digital watch/clock
   • câmera digital – digital camera
   • era digital – digital age

2. Related to fingers (lat. digitus)

   • impressão digital – fingerprint
   • leitor digital – fingerprint reader (depending on context)

So digital is not just tech vocabulary; it also appears in expressions about fingers and fingerprints. Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Does relógio mean both clock and watch in Portuguese? How do I be more specific?

Yes. relógio can mean clock or watch, depending on context.

To be more precise, Portuguese usually adds extra information:

• relógio de pulso – wristwatch
• relógio de bolso – pocket watch
• relógio de parede – wall clock
• relógio de mesa – table/desk clock
• despertador – alarm clock (a separate word)

So:

• O relógio é digital. might mean The watch is digital or The clock is digital, depending on what you’re talking about.
• O relógio de pulso é digital. – The wristwatch is digital.
• O relógio de parede é digital. – The wall clock is digital.

How would this sentence change in the plural?

Singular:

• O relógio é digital. – The watch/clock is digital.

Plural:

• Os relógios são digitais. – The watches/clocks are digital.

Changes:

• O → Os (masculine singular → masculine plural)
• relógio → relógios (add -s)
• é → são (third person singular of ser → third person plural)
• digital → digitais (adjective plural: -al → -ais)

So all elements (article, noun, verb, adjective) agree in number.

Can I just say É digital without O relógio?

Yes, you can, if the context is clear.

Portuguese often omits the subject when it’s obvious from the situation. If you’re holding a watch and someone asks:

• É digital? – Is it digital?

The subject (o relógio, ele) is understood, so it doesn’t need to be spoken.

However, if you’re introducing something for the first time or the context is unclear, you’d normally keep the noun:

• O relógio é digital. – The watch is digital.

What’s the difference between O relógio é digital and É um relógio digital?

Both are correct, but the focus is slightly different:

• O relógio é digital.

  • Focus on a known specific watch/clock and one of its properties.
  • Often used when you already know which watch you’re talking about.

• É um relógio digital.

  • Focus on classifying what kind of object it is:
    It is a digital watch (as opposed to being, say, a bracelet or something else).
  • Often used when introducing or identifying the object.

In many everyday contexts, you could use either and be understood perfectly.

Are there differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese in this sentence?

Grammatically and in meaning, no:

• O relógio é digital. is correct and normal in both European and Brazilian Portuguese.

The main difference is pronunciation:

• In Brazil (general tendency):

  • relógio → [heˈlɔʒju] or [ʁeˈlɔʒju] (a clearer e sound, often not reduced)
  • digital → [dʒiʒiˈtaw] (final l often sounds like w)

• In Portugal:

  • relógio → [ʁɨˈlɔʒju] (reduced e [ɨ], uvular r)
  • digital → [diʒiˈtaɫ] (final l is a dark [ɫ], not w)

But the wording and structure of the sentence are the same.