Breakdown of O fato do médico é cinzento.
ser
to be
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
o médico
the doctor (m)
cinzento
grey
o fato
the suit
Questions & Answers about O fato do médico é cinzento.
Wait, doesn't fato mean "fact"?
It is a classic false friend! In European Portuguese, fato means "suit" (like a business suit). If you want to say "fact", you use the word facto (and the C is actually pronounced). Note that if you ever speak to someone from Brazil, they usually say "terno" for suit instead.
Why do we say fato do médico instead of using an apostrophe-s like in English?
Could I use está instead of é since a person can change clothes?
No, because we are describing the suit itself, and its color is a permanent physical characteristic of the fabric. We use the verb ser (here conjugated as é) for inherent qualities like color, material, and size. You would only use the verb estar for a temporary state, like if the suit is currently dirty (está sujo).
Why does the adjective cinzento end in an O here?
Adjectives in Portuguese must agree with the noun they describe. Because fato (suit) is a masculine, singular noun, the adjective takes the masculine singular form cinzento. If the doctor were wearing a feminine item like a shirt (camisa), the adjective would change to match it: A camisa do médico é cinzenta.
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