Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O tronco da árvore é grande.

O tronco da árvore é grande.

The tree's trunk is big.

Breakdown of O tronco da árvore é grande.

ser

to be

of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)

Questions & Answers about O tronco da árvore é grande.

How does the Portuguese sentence show "the tree's" without an apostrophe-s?

Portuguese does not use an apostrophe-s for possession. Instead, you must always use the "X of Y" structure. So, "the tree's trunk" becomes "the trunk of the tree" (o tronco da árvore).

Why does the sentence use da instead of just de?

da is a required contraction of the preposition de (of) and the feminine definite article a (the). Even though the word árvore ends in an "e", it is a feminine noun, so it needs the feminine article.

Why do we use é (from the verb ser) here instead of está?

In Portuguese, we use the verb ser for permanent or inherent characteristics. The size of the trunk is a permanent physical trait of this tree, so we use é. We would use está (from estar) only for temporary states, like if the trunk were wet.

tronco is a masculine noun. Why doesn't the adjective grande change to match it?

grande is a uniform adjective, meaning it only has one form for both masculine and feminine nouns. It does not change its ending to match gender. It only changes to match plural nouns (becoming grandes).