Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Que cão tão brincalhão!

Que cão tão brincalhão!

What a playful dog!

Breakdown of Que cão tão brincalhão!

Questions & Answers about Que cão tão brincalhão!

Why is there no word for "a" after Que?

Unlike English, which uses "What a...", Portuguese never puts an indefinite article (um or uma) after an exclamatory Que. The word Que attaches directly to the noun.

Why do we use tão here instead of just saying Que cão brincalhão?

The pattern Que + noun + tão + adjective is a very common idiomatic structure for exclamations in Portuguese. While you could technically just say Que cão brincalhão!, adding tão translates literally to "What dog so playful!" and makes the emphasis much more natural and native-sounding.

Could I use tanto instead of tão in this exclamation?

No, because brincalhão is an adjective. You must always use the invariable word tão (so) before adjectives and adverbs. Tanto (so much / so many) is only used to modify nouns or verbs.

How does the word brincalhão change if I am talking about a female dog?

If you were talking about a female dog (uma cadela), the adjective would become brincalhona. Adjectives ending in -ão that describe personality traits almost always change to -ona in the feminine form.