Questions & Answers about Sim, ele é inglês.
Why isn't inglês capitalized here?
In Portuguese, words for nationalities and languages are written with a lowercase letter unless they are at the beginning of a sentence. So, 'English' becomes inglês.
How would I change this sentence to ask 'Is he English?'
You keep the exact same word order! Unlike English, which swaps the verb and subject to ask a question, Portuguese keeps the standard Subject-Verb-Object order: Ele é inglês? You simply raise the pitch of your voice at the end to show it is a yes/no question.
Why do we use é here instead of está?
What do the different accents on é and inglês mean?
The acute accent on é shows it has an 'open' vowel sound, similar to the 'e' in the English word 'pet'. The circumflex (little hat) on inglês shows a 'closed' vowel sound, and also tells you to put the stress on that final syllable.
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