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O restaurante é muito grande.

O restaurante é muito grande.
The restaurant is very big.
From Lesson 9:Contrasting the two verbs to be (ser vs. estar)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O restaurante é muito grande.

Why do we use é instead of está for 'is' in this sentence?
É comes from the verb ser, which we use for permanent or defining characteristics. Since the physical size of a building doesn't change from day to day, being big is a permanent trait of the restaurant. We would use estar (like está) for temporary states, like if the restaurant was temporarily closed or crowded.
How do I know if restaurante is masculine or feminine since it ends in an '-e'?
The word restaurante is masculine, which we can easily tell from the masculine word for 'the' (O) at the beginning of the sentence. Nouns ending in '-e' in Portuguese can be either masculine or feminine, so it is always best to memorize them alongside their article.
Since restaurante is masculine, shouldn't the adjective for 'big' end in an '-o'?
No, grande is a uniform adjective, meaning it doesn't change for gender. It stays grande whether it is describing a masculine noun (like o restaurante) or a feminine noun (like a casa). It only changes if the noun is plural (becoming grandes).
Would the word muito ever change endings to match the noun?
Not in this context! Here, muito means 'very' and is used to make the adjective (grande) stronger. When it means 'very', it is locked in place and never changes. It only changes its ending (to muita, muitos, or muitas) when it means 'much' or 'many' and describes a noun directly.

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