Learn Portuguese (Portugal): As tuas mãos são pequenas.

As tuas mãos são pequenas.

Your hands are small.

Breakdown of As tuas mãos são pequenas.

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

to / at (direction)

Questions & Answers about As tuas mãos são pequenas.

Why does the plural of mão end in -ãos instead of -ões?

Most Portuguese words ending in -ão change to -ões in the plural. However, mão is one of a few common exceptions that simply add an s to become mãos. Another very common word that does this is irmão (brother), which becomes irmãos.

Why do we use the feminine words As, tuas, and pequenas if mãos ends in an O sound?

Even though it ends in -ão in the singular and -ãos in the plural, mão is actually a feminine word. This is a very important exception to memorize! Because the noun is feminine and plural, all the words describing it must match: the article (As), the possessive (tuas), and the adjective (pequenas).

Why is there an "As" before "tuas"? Doesn't "tuas" already mean "your"?

Yes, tuas means "your", but in European Portuguese, you almost always put a definite article (the words for "the", like o, a, os, or as) before a possessive word. So, to say "your hands", you literally say "the your hands" (As tuas mãos).

Could I use estão instead of são here?