Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O apartamento é grande.

O apartamento é grande.

The flat is big.

Breakdown of O apartamento é grande.

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Questions & Answers about O apartamento é grande.

Why do we use é here instead of está?

Both é and está mean 'is', but we use é (from the verb ser) for permanent or long-lasting traits. Since the size of the flat is not going to change, we use é. We would use está (from the verb estar) for temporary states, like if the flat was currently messy.

Would the word grande change if the noun was feminine?

No. In Portuguese, most adjectives change their ending to match whether a noun is masculine or feminine. However, adjectives that end in -e, like grande, are neutral. They stay exactly the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. It would only change if the noun was plural (grandes).

How do we know to use O at the beginning of the sentence?

O is the Portuguese word for 'the' when talking about a masculine, singular noun. Because apartamento ends in -o, it is a masculine word, so it needs the masculine article O.