Breakdown of Os elefantes são tão grandes como as árvores.
ser
to be
grande
big / large
a árvore
the tree
tão
as / so
Questions & Answers about Os elefantes são tão grandes como as árvores.
How does the 'as ... as' comparison work in this sentence?
To compare two things that are equal, you use tão followed by the adjective, and then como. In this sentence, tão grandes como translates exactly to 'as big as'.
Why are there words for 'the' (os, as) before elephants and trees, when English just says 'Elephants' and 'trees'?
In Portuguese, you usually need to use definite articles like os and as when making general statements about an entire category or species of things.
Does the adjective grandes change if the noun is feminine?
No. Adjectives that end in -e in the singular, like grande, are gender-neutral. They look exactly the same for masculine and feminine nouns. Since elefantes is plural, we just add an -s to make it grandes.