Question 1

How does the suffix -vel work in the word amigável?

Accepted Answer

The suffix -vel is frequently added to verbs or nouns to form adjectives that mean 'capable of' or 'having the quality of'. In this sentence, it takes the root of the noun amigo (friend) and turns it into the adjective amigável (friendly). When attaching to words, it typically takes the form -ável, -ível, or -óvel depending on the root word's vowel.

Question 2

If we were talking about multiple neighbors, how would the adjective amigável change?

Accepted Answer

Adjectives ending in -vel follow a specific and very common plural rule: you drop the -l and add -is. If you were talking about multiple new neighbors, the sentence would become Os novos vizinhos são muito amigáveis.

Question 3

Why is the adjective placed before the noun here (novo vizinho) instead of after it?

Accepted Answer

The adjective novo is one of a few Portuguese adjectives that change meaning depending on their placement. When placed before the noun, it means 'new to me' or 'latest' (a recently acquired neighbor). If it were placed after the noun (vizinho novo), it would imply that the neighbor is young in age.

Question 4

Could we use está instead of é in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Using é (from the verb ser) tells us that being friendly is this neighbor's inherent personality trait. If you used está (from the verb estar), it would mean the neighbor is acting friendly right now in this specific moment, which might even imply that they aren't usually that nice!

O novo vizinho é muito amigável.

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