O verão na costa é calmo.

Summer on the coast is calm.

Breakdown of O verão na costa é calmo.

• ser: to be
• calmo: calm
• em: on
• o verão: the summer
• a costa: the coast

Questions & Answers about O verão na costa é calmo.

Why is there an article O before verão?

In European Portuguese, seasons normally take the definite article o / a when they are the subject of a sentence or talked about in a general way.

• O verão na costa é calmo. – The summer on the coast is calm.
• O inverno é muito frio aqui. – The winter is very cold here.

Saying Verão na costa é calmo without O is possible in some informal or headline‑like styles, but in normal speech and writing, Portuguese speakers would almost always use the article here.

So: with seasons as subjects, keep the article.

Can I say No verão, a costa é calma instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct, but it changes the structure and focus:

• O verão na costa é calmo.
  Literally: The summer on the coast is calm.
  Subject: o verão (the summer). Na costa is just saying where that summer is calm.

• No verão, a costa é calma.
  Literally: In the summer, the coast is calm.
  Subject: a costa (the coast). No verão tells you when the coast is calm.

Both can correspond to English “The summer on the coast is calm.”, but:

• First version emphasises the season on that coast.
• Second version emphasises the coast during that season.

What does na mean in na costa? Why not just em a costa?

Na is a contraction of the preposition em (in/on/at) + the feminine singular article a (the):

• em + a = na
• em + o = no

So:

• na costa = em a costa = on the coast / at the coast
• no inverno = em o inverno = in the winter

In correct Portuguese, you almost always use the contracted form (na, no, nas, nos) instead of writing em a, em o, etc.

Why is it é calmo and not está calmo?

This is the classic ser vs. estar distinction.

• é calmo (using ser) = describes a general, permanent, or characteristic quality.
• está calmo (using estar) = describes a temporary state or condition right now.

In this sentence, you are stating a general fact about what summer on the coast is like in general, so you use ser:

• O verão na costa é calmo. – As a rule, summers there tend to be calm.

If you said:

• O verão na costa está calmo este ano. – The summer on the coast is calm this year (implying it’s unusually calm this time),

you’d be stressing a particular, perhaps temporary situation with estar.

Why is calmo masculine if costa is feminine?

The adjective calmo agrees with the subject of the verb, not with the nearby noun in the prepositional phrase.

• Subject: o verão (masculine singular)
• Extra information: na costa (a location phrase)

So the agreement is:

• O verão (m.sg.) → é calmo (m.sg.)

• A costa (f.sg.) → é calma (f.sg.) in a different sentence:

  • A costa é calma no verão. – The coast is calm in summer.

In O verão na costa é calmo, the word costa does not control the adjective; verão does.

Is costa always feminine? How do I know its gender?

Yes, costa is a feminine noun in Portuguese:

• a costa – the coast
• na costa – on the coast
• da costa – of/from the coast

There’s no completely reliable rule, but:

• Many nouns ending in ‑a are feminine (casa, praia, janela, costa).
• You learn the gender with the noun: always think a costa, not just costa.

Some exceptions exist (e.g. o dia, o mapa), but costa is straightforward feminine.

Can I change the word order and say O verão é calmo na costa?

Yes, that is perfectly correct:

• O verão na costa é calmo.
• O verão é calmo na costa.

Both are natural in European Portuguese and mean the same thing here.

The version O verão na costa é calmo puts the location (na costa) closer to verão, slightly tying them together as a description of “the summer on the coast” as one idea, but in everyday speech the difference is minimal. Both will be understood identically in most contexts.

How do you pronounce verão? What sound is ão?

In European Portuguese, verão is approximately:

• [və‑RÃW̃]

Key points:

• The e in ve‑ is a reduced vowel, often like a very short “uh” sound: [və].
• r between vowels in European Portuguese is usually a soft flap, similar to a quick American English “tt” in butter.
• ão is a nasal diphthong. It’s not just “ow”; air also resonates in the nose.
  
  • Start with something like the English “ow” in cow but nasalise it and don’t fully close your lips at the end.

It’s different from Brazilian Portuguese mainly in rhythm and vowel quality, but the nasal ão sound exists in both varieties.

How is costa pronounced in Portugal?

In European Portuguese, costa is roughly:

• [KÓSH‑tɐ]

Details:

• c before o is a hard k sound: [k].
• s between vowels or before t in European Portuguese is usually pronounced like English sh in she: [ʃ], so cos‑ sounds like “kosh”.
• The final a is often a reduced sound [ɐ], similar to a short “uh”.

So you can approximate costa as “KÓSH‑tuh” in European Portuguese.

What’s the difference between costa, praia, and litoral?

They’re related but not the same:

• a costa – the coast / coastline in a general sense (land along the sea).

  • O verão na costa é calmo. – Summer on the coast is calm.

• a praia – the beach (sand/pebbles right by the water, where you sunbathe, swim, etc.).

  • A praia está cheia. – The beach is crowded.

• o litoral – the coastal region (often used more geographically or administratively, like “the coastal area” as opposed to the interior).

  • O litoral norte. – The northern coastal region.

In this sentence, costa is the right word because you’re talking in general about the coastal area, not just the sandy beach.

How would I say “Summers on the coast are calm” in Portuguese?

You make both the subject and the adjective plural:

• Os verões na costa são calmos.

Changes:

• O verão → Os verões (summer → summers)
• é → são (is → are)
• calmo → calmos (calm, m.sg. → calm, m.pl.)

The prepositional phrase na costa stays the same, because costa is still singular.