Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Isto é o livro e aquilo é a casa. - This is the book and that over there is the house.

Isto é o livro e aquilo é a casa.

This is the book and that over there is the house.

Breakdown of Isto é o livro e aquilo é a casa.

Questions & Answers about Isto é o livro e aquilo é a casa.

Why does the sentence use isto and aquilo instead of gendered words like este or aquela?

Isto (this) and aquilo (that over there) are invariable words, meaning they do not have masculine or feminine forms. We use them when pointing to a general object, an abstract idea, or something we haven't identified yet. Since we are saying "This is..." and "That is..." rather than attaching the word directly to the noun (like "This book"), we use these neutral forms.

Why is aquilo translated as "that over there" instead of just "that"?

Portuguese has three levels of physical distance for pointing things out. Isto is for something close to the speaker (this). Isso is for something close to the person you are talking to (that). Aquilo is used for something far away from both the speaker and the listener, which is why it translates best to "that over there".

Why do we use o before livro but a before casa?

In Portuguese, all nouns have a gender. Livro (book) is a masculine noun, so it uses the masculine "the", which is o. Casa (house) is feminine, so it uses the feminine "the", which is a. A helpful tip: nouns ending in "-o" are usually masculine, and those ending in "-a" are usually feminine.

Does the verb é change depending on whether the object is masculine or feminine?