Breakdown of Um pai responsável também é carinhoso, não é?
ser
to be
não
not / no
o pai
the father / the parents
também
also / too
um
a / an / some (all forms)
carinhoso
affectionate
responsável
responsible
Questions & Answers about Um pai responsável também é carinhoso, não é?
Why doesn't responsável change to match the masculine noun pai?
Adjectives ending in the suffix -vel (like responsável, amável, or incrível) are gender-neutral. They keep the exact same form whether they describe a masculine noun like pai or a feminine noun like mãe.
How does the suffix -oso work in carinhoso?
The suffix -oso is added to nouns to mean "full of" or "having the quality of" that thing. Here, it is attached to the noun carinho (affection) to make the adjective carinhoso (affectionate). Unlike -vel, words ending in -oso do change for gender, so if we were talking about a mother, she would be carinhosa.
Why use é (from the verb ser) instead of está (from estar)?
We use é because being responsible and affectionate are described here as core, permanent personality traits of a good father, rather than temporary moods or passing behaviors.
Does não é? literally mean "isn't he?" here?
não é? literally means "is it not?", but it acts as a universal tag question in Portuguese to ask for agreement, much like saying "right?" in English. In everyday spoken Portuguese, you will often hear it shortened to just não? at the end of a sentence.
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