Learn Portuguese (Portugal): A minha irmã compra poucas coisas.

A minha irmã compra poucas coisas.

My sister buys few things.

Breakdown of A minha irmã compra poucas coisas.

my (m/f/pl: meu, minha, meus, minhas)

pouco

little

Questions & Answers about A minha irmã compra poucas coisas.

Why is it poucas and not just pouco?

In Portuguese, quantifiers like pouco (little/few) and muito (much/many) change their endings to match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Because coisas (things) is feminine and plural, pouco changes to poucas.

How do I know poucas means "few" here, instead of "little"?

It depends on the noun! When pouco is singular (like pouca água - little water), it means "little" or "not much" of an uncountable thing. When it is plural to match a countable noun (like poucas coisas), it translates to "few" or "not many".

Why is there an A before minha irmã? Doesn't that mean "The my sister"?

Literally, yes! In European Portuguese, it is standard to put a definite article (o, a, os, as) before a possessive word like minha (my). Since irmã is feminine and singular, we use A.

What is the dictionary form of the verb for compra?

The infinitive (dictionary form) is comprar (to buy). Compra is the present tense form for he, she, or it, which matches A minha irmã (My sister).