No mercado, os morangos e as uvas estavam mais baratos do que os pêssegos.

At the market, the strawberries and grapes were cheaper than the peaches.

Breakdown of No mercado, os morangos e as uvas estavam mais baratos do que os pêssegos.

• estar: to be
• e: and
• em: at
• o mercado: the market
• mais: more
• do que: than
• barato: cheap
• o morango: the strawberry
• a uva: the grape
• o pêssego: the peach

Questions & Answers about No mercado, os morangos e as uvas estavam mais baratos do que os pêssegos.

Why is it no mercado and not em o mercado?

Because no is a contraction of em + o.

• em = in / at
• o = the
• em o mercado becomes no mercado

This kind of contraction is very common in Portuguese:

• em + a = na
• em + os = nos
• em + as = nas

So no mercado means in the market or at the market, depending on context.

Why are there articles before the fruit names: os morangos, as uvas, os pêssegos?

Portuguese uses definite articles much more often than English.

In English, you might say strawberries and grapes were cheaper than peaches, with no articles. In Portuguese, it is very natural to say:

• os morangos
• as uvas
• os pêssegos

Here, the sentence is talking about those fruits as categories in that market situation, so the articles sound normal and idiomatic.

The articles also show gender and number:

• os = masculine plural
• as = feminine plural

How do I know the gender of these nouns?

You usually have to learn the gender with each noun, but in this sentence they are:

• o morango → masculine
• a uva → feminine
• o pêssego → masculine

So in the plural:

• os morangos
• as uvas
• os pêssegos

The endings can sometimes help, but they are not a perfect rule. For example, morango and pêssego end in -o, which often signals masculine, and uva ends in -a, which often signals feminine.

Why is the verb estavam plural?

Because the subject is plural: os morangos e as uvas.

This is a compound subject, and together it means the strawberries and the grapes, so the verb must also be plural:

• singular: o morango estava
• plural: os morangos estavam
• compound plural: os morangos e as uvas estavam

What tense is estavam?

Estavam is the imperfect of estar.

The infinitive is estar = to be.

Imperfect forms:

• eu estava
• tu estavas
• ele/ela estava
• nós estávamos
• vós estáveis
• eles/elas estavam

In this sentence, the imperfect gives a past description or background state: at that time, in that market, strawberries and grapes were cheaper than peaches.

Why does the sentence use estavam and not eram?

Because Portuguese normally uses estar for prices or conditions that are seen as temporary or situational.

• estar barato = to be cheap
• estar caro = to be expensive

So estavam mais baratos means they were cheaper at that moment or in that situation.

Using ser here would sound less natural in normal speech. Ser is more for permanent characteristics, identity, or definition, while estar is the usual choice for a changing state like price.

Why is it baratos and not baratas, since uvas is feminine?

Because the adjective agrees with the whole subject: os morangos e as uvas.

When Portuguese has a mixed-gender plural group, the adjective normally goes in the masculine plural.

So:

• os morangos = masculine plural
• as uvas = feminine plural
• together = mixed group
• adjective = baratos (masculine plural)

If both nouns were feminine, you would use baratas.

Example:

• As uvas e as maçãs estavam mais baratas.

How does mais baratos do que work?

It is the normal comparative pattern:

mais + adjective + do que = more + adjective + than

So:

• barato = cheap
• mais barato = cheaper
• mais baratos = cheaper (masculine plural)

And then:

• mais baratos do que os pêssegos = cheaper than the peaches

This is how Portuguese usually builds comparisons:

• mais alto do que = taller than
• mais rápido do que = faster than
• mais caro do que = more expensive than

Can I say mais baratos que os pêssegos instead of mais baratos do que os pêssegos?

Yes, you may hear both.

• mais baratos do que os pêssegos
• mais baratos que os pêssegos

Both are used, but do que is very common and is a safe choice for learners. It is often taught as the default pattern in comparisons.

So if you are unsure, mais ... do que ... is a very good structure to use.

Why is there a comma after No mercado?

Because No mercado is an introductory phrase that sets the scene.

The comma marks a small pause, like: At the market, ...

It helps separate the setting from the main statement.

Without the comma, the sentence can still be acceptable in many contexts:

• No mercado os morangos e as uvas estavam mais baratos do que os pêssegos.

But the comma is very natural when the speaker wants to highlight the setting first.

Why does Portuguese repeat the article in os morangos e as uvas?

Because each noun normally keeps its own article.

So you say:

• os morangos e as uvas

not usually:

• os morangos e uvas

Repeating the article is especially important here because the nouns have different genders:

• os for morangos
• as for uvas

This makes the structure clear and natural.

Could the articles be left out altogether?

Sometimes Portuguese can omit articles in certain styles or very general statements, but in this sentence the articles are the most natural choice.

Because the sentence describes a specific situation in a market, os morangos, as uvas, and os pêssegos sound normal and idiomatic.

Leaving them out would usually sound less natural in standard spoken Portuguese from Portugal.

Does the sentence mean that both strawberries and grapes were cheaper than peaches?

Yes.

The sentence compares os morangos e as uvas as a combined subject against os pêssegos.

So the natural reading is:

• strawberries were cheaper than peaches
• grapes were cheaper than peaches

It does not mean strawberries were cheaper than grapes. The comparison is between the first group and os pêssegos.