Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Aquilo é a casa. - That over there is the house.

Aquilo é a casa.

That over there is the house.

Breakdown of Aquilo é a casa.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Portuguese (Portugal) grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Portuguese (Portugal) now

Questions & Answers about Aquilo é a casa.

Since casa is a feminine word, why do we use aquilo instead of aquela?

Aquilo is a neutral word (it doesn't change for masculine or feminine) used when pointing at a general object or something unidentified: that thing over there. If you were saying that house, you would use the feminine word aquela (aquela casa). But because you are saying That (thing) is the house, you use aquilo.

What is the difference between isso and aquilo?

In Portuguese, distance matters for the word that. You use isso for something close to the person you are talking to (that thing right by you). You use aquilo for something far away from both you and the person you are talking to (that thing way over there).

Why do we use é here instead of está?

É comes from the verb ser, which we use to identify what something fundamentally is. Since you are telling someone the identity of the building (That is the house), you use é. The other verb for to be, estar, is used for temporary locations or feelings.

Why is it a casa and not o casa?