Verb + Noun Compounds
In Portuguese, many everyday tools and household items are named by combining a verb (like abrir or guardar) with a plural noun. For example, o abre-latas (can opener) literally translates to "opens-cans".
Because the noun portion is already plural, the word itself doesn't change in the plural. You simply change the article before it:
- o abre-latas (can opener) → os abre-latas
- o saca-rolhas (corkscrew) → os saca-rolhas
- o guarda-fatos (wardrobe) → os guarda-fatos
- o porta-moedas (coin purse) → os porta-moedas
- o porta-chaves (keychain) → os porta-chaves
- o guarda-joias (jewelry box) → os guarda-joias
| We have two can openers and two corkscrews in the kitchen drawer. | Nós temos dois abre-latas e dois saca-rolhas na gaveta da cozinha. |
| Where are the keychains and the jewelry boxes? | Onde estão os porta-chaves e os guarda-joias? |
Noun + Noun Compounds
When a compound word is made of two nouns joined by a hyphen, the general rule is to pluralize both words:
- o sofá-cama (sofa bed) → os sofás-camas
- o rádio-despertador (clock radio) → os rádios-despertadores
- a couve-flor (cauliflower) → as couves-flores
| We sleep on the sofa beds when we visit the city. | Dormimos nos sofás-camas quando visitamos a cidade. |
| What a strange thing! There are clock radios next to the cauliflowers! | Que coisa estranha! Há rádios-despertadores ao lado das couves-flores! |
However, if the second noun acts like an adjective describing the first, often only the first noun becomes plural. A common example is a palavra-chave (keyword), which becomes as palavras-chave.
| These clock radios do not need keywords. | Estes rádios-despertadores não precisam de palavras-chave. |
| The keywords are useful when we cook the cauliflowers. | As palavras-chave são úteis quando cozinhamos as couves-flores. |
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