Log inSign up

Eles têm boas profissões.

Eles têm boas profissões.
They have good professions.
From Lesson 40:Plurals ending in -ão (-ões, -ãos, -ães)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Eles têm boas profissões.

eles
they (m)
ter
to have
bom
good
a profissão
the profession

Questions & Answers about Eles têm boas profissões.

How do I know to change the -ão in profissão to -ões for the plural?
Most Portuguese words ending in -ão form their plural by changing to -ões. The singular is profissão and the plural is profissões. While there are a few words that change to -ãos or -ães, -ões is by far the most common pattern, especially for words ending in -ção or -ssão.
Why is the feminine adjective boas used with profissões?
Because profissão is a feminine noun. As a very helpful rule of thumb, almost all Portuguese nouns ending in -ção or -ssão (like profissão, informação, or televisão) are feminine. Therefore, the adjective must match it and become the feminine plural boas.
Why does têm have a circumflex accent (the "little hat")?
The accent tells you this is the plural form, meaning "they have". The singular form ele tem (he has) has no accent, while the plural form eles têm (they have) gets the circumflex to show the difference in grammar.
Doesn't the adjective usually go after the noun? Why is it boas profissões here?
You are right that most adjectives come after the noun in Portuguese! However, a few very common adjectives, like bom/boa (good) and mau/má (bad), typically come before the noun. Putting boas first is the most natural way to say this.

Learn Eles têm boas profissões and more in Portuguese

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Portuguese →