Este tecido é fino.

to be

Breakdown of Este tecido é fino.

• este: this
• o tecido: the fabric
• fino: thin

Questions & Answers about Este tecido é fino.

Why is este used here?

Este is the masculine singular form of this.

It matches tecido, which is a masculine singular noun. In Portuguese, demonstratives agree with the noun they go with:

• este tecido = this fabric
• esta camisa = this shirt
• estes tecidos = these fabrics
• estas camisas = these shirts

In European Portuguese, este usually refers to something close to the speaker.

Why is there no o before tecido?

Portuguese often does not use the definite article when English might use the, especially in short identifying statements like this.

So Este tecido simply means this fabric.
You would not normally say Este o tecido é fino.

If you wanted a slightly different structure, you could say:

• Este tecido é fino. = This fabric is thin/fine.
• O tecido é fino. = The fabric is thin/fine.

But with este, the article is not used before the noun.

Why is the verb é used here?