Learn Portuguese (Portugal): A gripe é uma doença comum no inverno.

A gripe é uma doença comum no inverno.

The flu is a common illness in winter.

Breakdown of A gripe é uma doença comum no inverno.

the illness, the disease

comum

common, ordinary

Questions & Answers about A gripe é uma doença comum no inverno.

In English we often say 'Flu is...' and 'in winter' without articles. Why does Portuguese use A gripe and no inverno here?

In Portuguese, definite articles (o, a, os, as) are required when making broad generalizations. This applies to both diseases like a gripe (the flu) and seasons like o inverno (the winter). Because of this, 'in winter' combines the preposition em (in) with o to become no inverno.

Since the flu comes and goes depending on the season, why do we use é (from the permanent verb ser) instead of está?

While catching the flu is a temporary state for a person (which is why you say eu estou com gripe for 'I have the flu'), this specific sentence is defining what the illness is as a concept. Whenever you are classifying, defining, or stating a universal fact about something, you must use ser.

The word gripe looks like the English word 'gripe'. What is the word for a regular cold, and is it also a false friend?

Yes, this is a classic trap for English speakers! Gripe always means the flu. If you want to say you have a common cold, the word is constipação (which sounds exactly like the English 'constipation', but strictly means a head or chest cold in Portugal).