Question 1

Why does muito stay singular when the adjectives calmos and nervosos are plural?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, muito means 'very'. It is acting as an adverb, which is a word that describes an adjective. Adverbs never change their endings to match other words (they are invariable). If muito meant 'many' and described a noun, it would change to match that noun, but as 'very', it always stays muito.

Question 2

Why do we use estamos and estão instead of somos and são?

Accepted Answer

Both pairs of verbs mean 'are', but we use the verb estar (which gives us estamos and estão) for temporary states and feelings. Being calm or nervous is how they feel right now, not a permanent part of their personality.

Question 3

If the group 'we' is all women, would the word calmos change?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If Nós (we) refers to a group of only women, the adjective changes to match them, becoming calmas. The masculine plural calmos is used for a group of men, or a mixed group of men and women.

Question 4

Can I leave out the words Nós and eles?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can drop the pronouns because the verbs estamos (we are) and estão (they are) already tell us who the subject is. You could simply say Estamos muito calmos, mas estão muito nervosos. However, speakers often keep the pronouns when making a direct contrast between 'us' and 'them', as we are doing here.

Nós estamos muito calmos, mas eles estão muito nervosos.

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