Adjectives as Adverbs
In Portuguese, adjectives normally change their endings to match the gender and number of the noun they describe. However, some common adjectives can be used as adverbs to describe how an action is performed.
When an adjective acts as an adverb, it becomes invariable. This means it freezes in its default masculine singular form, regardless of the gender or number of the subject performing the action.
Let's look at some high-stakes examples in the casino using alto (high/loud), sujo (dirty), and caro (expensive/dearly).
Notice how a banca (the bank) is feminine, but because sujo describes the verb jogar (to play), it does not change to suja:
| The bank plays dirty during the bluff. | A banca joga sujo durante o bluff. |
Even when the subject is plural, the adjective acting as an adverb remains singular:
| The bank always wins, even when we bet high in the casino. | A banca ganha sempre, mesmo quando apostamos alto no casino. |
Similarly, a batota (the cheating) is a feminine noun, but the adverb caro stays masculine:
| In the casino, cheating costs dearly. | No casino, a batota custa caro. |
| The player bets high when the roulette starts. | O jogador aposta alto quando a roleta começa. |
Besides betting, alto is also frequently paired with verbs like falar to mean speaking "loudly" (or baixo for speaking "quietly"):
| In case you are in the casino, do not speak loudly! | Caso estejas no casino, não fales alto! |
