Breakdown of O futebol é um desporto difícil.
ser
to be
um
a / an / some (all forms)
difícil
difficult
o desporto
the sport
o futebol
the football
Questions & Answers about O futebol é um desporto difícil.
Why does the sentence say O futebol instead of just futebol?
In Portuguese, you generally need to use the definite article (o or a) before abstract concepts and categories, including sports. So, while English simply uses the word football, Portuguese requires the article, making it O futebol.
Why do we use é here instead of está?
Why does difícil come after desporto?
In Portuguese, descriptive adjectives like difícil almost always come right after the noun they describe. While English says a difficult sport, the Portuguese word order is a sport difficult (um desporto difícil).
Does the word difícil change depending on the gender of the noun?
No. Adjectives that end in the letter -l, like difícil, have the exact same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. It only changes if the noun is plural, which would become difíceis.
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