Questions & Answers about Isto é a casa?
Why doesn't the word order change to make it a question, like 'É isto' ('Is this')?
In Portuguese, you don't need to swap the subject and the verb to ask a yes-or-no question. The statement Isto é a casa (This is the house) and the question Isto é a casa? (Is this the house?) have the exact same word order. You just raise the pitch of your voice at the end when speaking, or add a question mark in writing.
Since casa is feminine, why do we use isto instead of the feminine esta?
Isto is an invariable word, meaning it doesn't change to match masculine or feminine nouns. It simply means 'this thing right here.' We use it when pointing to a general concept, a location, or an unidentified object. You could use esta if you were choosing between specific houses (like 'this one'), but isto is perfectly natural when asking 'is this place we are looking at the house?'
Why is é used here, and which verb is it from?
É means 'is'. It is the 'he/she/it' form of the verb ser (to be). We use the verb ser when talking about permanent facts or identifying exactly what something is. Here, the verb matches the demonstrative pronoun isto.
How do we know to put an 'a' before casa?
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