Questions & Answers about O lobo é um animal selvagem.
Could I generalize using the plural and say Os lobos são animais selvagens instead?
Yes, you absolutely can. Using the plural is perfectly natural and very common in everyday speech. However, using the singular definite article to represent an entire species (o lobo) is a frequent stylistic choice in Portuguese, much like saying "the wolf" in English.
Since animal is a masculine noun, why doesn't the adjective selvagem have a specifically masculine ending?
The word selvagem is a uniform adjective, meaning it shares the exact same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. Adjectives ending in -em behave this way. If you were describing a wild plant (a feminine noun), it would still be uma planta selvagem. It only changes form for the plural, becoming selvagens.
Is the adjective selvagem related to the noun selva?
Yes! Selvagem is directly derived from selva, which means "jungle" or "forest". The suffix -agem is often used in Portuguese to form words indicating origin or relationship, so selvagem essentially means "of the jungle" or "of the wild".
I have heard wild animals referred to as feras. Could I say O lobo é uma fera here?
You could, but it significantly changes the tone. While um animal selvagem is a neutral, biological description meaning "wild" (not domesticated), uma fera translates closer to "a beast" or "a savage creature". Calling a wolf uma fera emphasizes danger and ferocity rather than just its natural classification.
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