Word
Escrevo com a mão esquerda.
Meaning
I write with my left hand.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Escrevo com a mão esquerda.
com
with
a mão
the hand
escrever
to write
esquerdo
left (adjective)
Questions & Answers about Escrevo com a mão esquerda.
Why does the sentence use "a mão" (the hand) instead of "a minha mão" (my hand)?
In Portuguese, it is standard practice to use a definite article (like a or o) instead of a possessive word (like minha) when talking about parts of the body. Because the verb Escrevo translates to "I write", it is already completely clear whose hand is doing the action.
I learned that words ending in "-ão" are usually masculine. Why do we use the feminine words "a" and "esquerda" here?
You are right that most Portuguese words ending in -ão are masculine, such as o pão (the bread) or o cão (the dog). However, the word for hand, mão, is a very important exception to this rule. It is a feminine noun, which is why it pairs with the feminine article a and the feminine adjective esquerda.
Why is the adjective for left (esquerda) placed after the noun (mão)?
Unlike in English, where adjectives generally come before the noun, Portuguese descriptive adjectives usually come immediately after the noun they describe. This structural rule applies to sides and directions as well, resulting in mão esquerda (literally "hand left").