Learn Portuguese (Portugal): A garagem deste prédio é pequena.

A garagem deste prédio é pequena.

The garage of this building is small.

Breakdown of A garagem deste prédio é pequena.

of this (m/sg), desta (f/sg), destes (m/pl), destas (f/pl)

Questions & Answers about A garagem deste prédio é pequena.

Where does the word deste come from?

deste is a contraction of the preposition de (of) and the demonstrative word este (this). Because prédio (building) is a masculine word, we use the masculine este. When they combine, they make deste.

Is garagem a feminine word? It doesn't end in -a.

Yes, garagem is feminine! While many feminine words end in -a, Portuguese words ending in -agem are almost always feminine. That is why we use the feminine article A at the beginning of the sentence.

Why is the adjective pequena feminine when prédio is masculine?

The adjective has to match the gender of the noun it actually describes. In this sentence, it is the garage (a garagem) that is small, not the building (o prédio). Since garagem is feminine, the adjective must be pequena instead of pequeno.

Why do we use é here instead of está?

We use é (from the verb ser) because the size of a built structure is considered a permanent physical characteristic. You would use está (from the verb estar) for temporary conditions, like if the garage were currently messy.