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A mota é rápida.

A mota é rápida.
The motorbike is fast.
From Lesson 43:Getting around (o motorista, a paragem de autocarro)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of A mota é rápida.

ser
to be
rápido
fast
a mota
the motorbike

Questions & Answers about A mota é rápida.

I have seen the word for motorbike spelled as moto. Why is it mota here?
In Portugal, the most common word for motorbike is mota. If you have seen moto, that is the standard term in Brazilian Portuguese. Because mota is a feminine noun, it pairs with the feminine word for the, which is A.
Why do we use é instead of está to say is?
We use é, from the verb ser, to describe permanent or inherent characteristics. Being fast is a built-in feature of this motorbike. If you used está, from the verb estar, it would mean the motorbike is only temporarily fast right now, which sounds strange for a vehicle's capability.
Why does the word for fast end in an a (rápida)?
In Portuguese, describing words (adjectives) must match the gender of the noun they describe. The base dictionary form for fast is the masculine rápido. Since mota is feminine, we change the ending to an a to make it rápida.

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