Breakdown of A gala, evento prestigioso, começou bem.
bem
well / fine
começar
to begin
o evento
the event
a gala
the gala
Questions & Answers about A gala, evento prestigioso, começou bem.
Why is there no article like um before evento prestigioso?
This phrase is an apposition — a noun phrase placed next to another noun to describe it. In Portuguese, you usually omit the indefinite or definite article in an apposition that classifies or defines the preceding noun. This is why we don't say um evento prestigioso here, even though English requires 'a prestigious event'.
A gala is feminine, so why are evento and prestigioso masculine?
An apposition uses its own noun, which keeps its inherent grammatical gender. The word evento is always masculine, so any adjectives modifying it, like prestigioso, must also be masculine. It does not need to match the gender of the original noun (gala) it refers to.
Could the adjective come before the noun here, as in prestigioso evento?
Why is the Pretérito Perfeito (começou) used here instead of the Imperfeito (começava)?