Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Ele é o professor.

Ele é o professor.

He is the teacher.

Breakdown of Ele é o professor.

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Questions & Answers about Ele é o professor.

Can I drop the word ele and just say É o professor?

Yes! In Portuguese, subject pronouns are often optional. However, because é can mean 'he is', 'she is', or 'you are' (formal), keeping ele makes it completely clear that you mean 'he'.

How do I change this to say 'He is NOT the teacher'?

To make a sentence negative, you simply put não directly before the verb. So, it becomes Ele não é o professor.

If I wanted to say 'He is a teacher' (his profession), would I still use o?

No. When stating someone's profession in general, you drop the article in Portuguese: Ele é professor (He is a teacher). By using o, you are pointing him out as a specific person: Ele é o professor (He is the teacher).

How do I pronounce ele?

The first 'e' has a closed sound, a bit like the 'a' in 'gate' (but shorter). The final 'e' is very soft and barely pronounced. Together, it sounds somewhat like 'ayl'.