Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Qual é o teu tamanho?

Qual é o teu tamanho?

What is your size?

Breakdown of Qual é o teu tamanho?

ser

to be

teu

your (informal, m/f/pl: teu, tua, teus, tuas)

qual

which / what (which one)

o tamanho

the size

Questions & Answers about Qual é o teu tamanho?

The English translation says "What is your size", so why does the Portuguese sentence use Qual instead of O que?

In Portuguese, o que is used to ask for definitions or explanations (as in "What is a size?"). When you are asking for specific information out of a known set of possibilities—like someone's size, name, or phone number—you must use qual (which literally translates closer to "which").

What if I wanted to ask "What are your sizes?" for different pieces of clothing. Does qual change?

Yes! Qual is the singular form. If you are asking about multiple things, it changes to its plural form, quais. The sentence would become Quais são os teus tamanhos?

Why is there an o right before teu?

In European Portuguese, possessive words like teu (your) or meu (my) are almost always preceded by a definite article (o, a, os, or as). Because tamanho is a masculine, singular word, we use the masculine singular article o, making it o teu tamanho.

People can grow or lose weight, so why do we use é (from the permanent verb ser) instead of está (from the temporary verb estar)?