Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O homem é americano, mas o nome é português. - The man is American, but the name is Portuguese.

O homem é americano, mas o nome é português.

The man is American, but the name is Portuguese.

Breakdown of O homem é americano, mas o nome é português.

Questions & Answers about O homem é americano, mas o nome é português.

Why do we use é here instead of está?

The verb ser (which becomes é for he, she, or it) is used to talk about permanent characteristics. Both a person's nationality (americano) and the origin of a name (português) are defining, permanent traits, so we must use ser rather than estar.

Since this lesson is about chamar-se (to call oneself), could we use it here instead of o nome é?

Not for this specific sentence! We use the reflexive verb chamar-se to state what someone's actual name is, such as ele chama-se João (his name is João). However, this sentence describes the origin of the name rather than telling us what the name is. For that, we simply use the noun o nome and the verb ser.

Why are americano and português written in lowercase?

In English, nationalities and languages are always capitalized. In Portuguese, however, they are written entirely in lowercase when used as adjectives or nouns.

Is mas the same as mais?

No, though beginners often mix them up because they sound similar! Mas means but, which is used here to show contrast. Mais means more.