Breakdown of Um quilo de carne é caro.
ser
to be
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
um
a / an / some (all forms)
a carne
the meat
caro
expensive
o quilo
the kilo
Questions & Answers about Um quilo de carne é caro.
Does um mean the number 'one' or the word 'a' here?
It can be both! In Portuguese, the number one (um for masculine nouns, uma for feminine nouns) is the exact same word as the indefinite article (a/an). So um quilo translates naturally as 'a kilo', but it also literally means 'one kilo'.
The word for meat (carne) is feminine. So why do we use the masculine words um and caro?
Because the true subject of the sentence is the kilo (o quilo), which is a masculine noun. You are saying that the kilo is expensive, and that you have one kilo. The phrase de carne (of meat) just describes what the kilo is made of. Therefore, the number (um) and the adjective (caro) must be masculine to match quilo.
Why do we use é (from the verb ser) instead of está (from estar)? Doesn't the price of meat change?
In Portuguese, we generally use the verb ser (the 'permanent' to be) to talk about the general price, value, or cost of an item. Being expensive (caro) is treated as an inherent characteristic of the meat. However, if you wanted to emphasize that the price is unusually high just for right now, you could use estar and say Um quilo de carne está caro.
Is quilo just short for kilogram?
Yes! Just like in English, quilo is the everyday shortened form of quilograma. Remember that in Portuguese, the letters qu before an i or e make a hard 'k' sound, so it is pronounced 'kee-loo'.
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