Breakdown of A habitação no centro é cada vez mais cara.
ser
to be
em
in / on / at
caro
expensive
o centro
the center
mais
more
a vez
the time (occasion)
cada
each
a habitação
the housing
cada vez mais
more and more (cada vez menos = less and less)
Questions & Answers about A habitação no centro é cada vez mais cara.
Literally, what does cada vez mais mean, and how do we use it here?
Why is the adjective cara feminine here?
The phrase cada vez mais does not affect how adjectives agree. The adjective cara (expensive) still has to agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Since a habitação (housing) is feminine and singular, the adjective must be cara instead of the masculine caro.
If housing prices are changing over time, why use é (from the verb ser) instead of está (from the verb estar)?
This is a tricky distinction! Even though prices change, stating how expensive a city center is often feels like describing a general characteristic or established fact about that area, which triggers ser. However, using está (está cada vez mais cara) is also completely correct and would strongly emphasize the temporary or ongoing trend of the price increase.
Why does the sentence use no centro instead of just em centro?
In Portuguese, you almost always need a definite article when referring to specific places like the center (o centro). The preposition em (in) combines with the article o (the) to form the contraction no.
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