Log inSign up

É uma grande coincidência!

É uma grande coincidência!
It is a great coincidence!
From Lesson 167:Expressions of identity (o mesmo / a mesma)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about É uma grande coincidência!

Why is grande placed before the noun coincidência here?
Usually, adjectives in Portuguese go after the noun. However, grande is often placed before the noun when it means "great" or "significant" in a figurative way, just like in this sentence. If we placed it after the noun, it would sound more like we meant "big" in physical size.
Where is the word for "It" in this sentence?
Portuguese doesn't have a direct subject pronoun for "it". To say "It is", you simply use the third-person singular form of the verb on its own, which is É in this case.
Why do we use É (from the verb ser) instead of está (from estar)?
The verb ser is used for identifying or defining what something is. Because we are defining this situation as a coincidence, we use É. The verb estar is mostly used for temporary feelings, conditions, or locations.
How would I change this sentence to say "It is the same coincidence!" using what we are learning in this lesson?
You would say É a mesma coincidência!. Because the noun coincidência is feminine, you must use the feminine expression a mesma (the same). Just like in English, it goes right before the noun.

Learn É uma grande coincidência and more in Portuguese

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Portuguese →