Question 1

Why do we say O casaco dele instead of putting a word for "his" before the noun?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, the most common way to say "his" is to use dele placed directly after the noun. It literally translates to "of him" (a combination of de + ele). Because of this structure, you still need to use the definite article "the" (O) before the noun itself.

Question 2

Would dele change to match the noun if we were talking about a feminine object instead of casaco?

Accepted Answer

No, dele always stays the same when the owner is male! It literally means "of him". So whether it is a masculine coat (o casaco dele) or a feminine shirt (a camisa dele), the word dele does not change because it agrees with the owner, not the object.

Question 3

Why does the adjective grande end in "-e" instead of "-o" to match the masculine noun casaco?

Accepted Answer

Not all Portuguese adjectives change between "-o" and "-a". Adjectives that naturally end in "-e", like grande (big) or inteligente (smart), are gender-neutral. This means grande is used exactly the same way for both masculine and feminine nouns.

Question 4

Why do we use é (from the verb ser) here instead of está (from the verb estar)?

Accepted Answer

We use ser (é) to describe permanent characteristics. The size of the coat is a built-in, fixed trait of the object itself, rather than a temporary condition, so we use é.

O casaco dele é muito grande.

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