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As raparigas são americanas.

As raparigas são americanas.
The girls are American.
From Lesson 4:Plural pronouns, articles, and verbs (somos, são, os, as)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of As raparigas são americanas.

ser
to be
a rapariga
the girl
americano
American

Questions & Answers about As raparigas são americanas.

Why do we use As instead of A or Os?
Raparigas is a feminine, plural noun meaning "girls". In Portuguese, the word for "the" has to match both the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun. So, the singular feminine a becomes the plural feminine as.
Why is the verb são used in this sentence?
São is a plural form of the verb ser (to be). We use it for eles (they, masculine), elas (they, feminine), and vocês (you all). Because "the girls" can be replaced by "they" (elas), we use são.
Why does the word americanas end in -as?
In Portuguese, adjectives (words that describe nouns) must match the noun they are describing. Since raparigas is feminine and plural, the adjective must also be feminine and plural. We take the masculine singular word americano, change the -o to an -a for feminine (americana), and add an -s for plural to get americanas.
Is rapariga the standard word for "girl" in Portuguese?
Yes, in Portugal, rapariga is the completely normal, everyday word for a girl or young woman. However, if you ever speak to someone from Brazil, be aware that this word is considered offensive there! Brazilians use menina or garota instead. But in European Portuguese, rapariga is perfectly polite and common.

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