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O pai está feliz hoje.

O pai está feliz hoje.
The father is happy today.
From Lesson 9:Contrasting the two verbs to be (ser vs. estar)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O pai está feliz hoje.

Why do we use está here instead of é?
We use está (from the verb estar) because it describes a temporary state or feeling. The word hoje (today) is a big clue that this is just how he feels right now. If we used é (from ser), it would mean the father is a naturally happy person in general.
Does feliz change to a masculine form to match o pai?
No, because feliz belongs to a group of adjectives ending in -z that are exactly the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. Whether it is o pai or a mãe, the word remains feliz. It only changes if it becomes plural (felizes).
Why is there an O before pai?
In Portuguese, you usually need to use the definite article (o or a, meaning 'the') before nouns when talking about specific people, including family members. If you were talking directly to your dad, you could drop the o, but when talking about him in a sentence like this, you must say o pai.
What does the accent mark on está do?
The acute accent tells you to put the spoken stress on that final syllable. This is very important because if you forget the accent and stress the first syllable instead (esta), it becomes the word for 'this' (as in 'this woman').

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