Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Eles estão atrasados, mas a médica está ocupada.

Eles estão atrasados, mas a médica está ocupada.

They are late, but the doctor is busy.

Breakdown of Eles estão atrasados, mas a médica está ocupada.

to be (temporary / location)

Questions & Answers about Eles estão atrasados, mas a médica está ocupada.

How do we use the word mas in this sentence?

Mas means but. It is a coordinating conjunction, which simply means it connects two related ideas. Here, it joins the two independent thoughts (eles estão atrasados and a médica está ocupada) to show a contrast between them.

Why do we use estão and está instead of são and é?

Both pairs of words mean to be, but they come from different verbs. We use estão and está (from the verb estar) because being late (atrasados) and being busy (ocupada) are temporary states. If we were talking about permanent traits, we would use the verb ser (são or é).

Why does atrasados end in -os while ocupada ends in -a?

Adjectives in Portuguese have to match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Atrasados is masculine and plural to match eles (they). Ocupada is feminine and singular because it describes a médica (the female doctor).

Can a médica be used for any doctor?