Breakdown of A máquina de lavar roupa faz barulho.
fazer
to do
o barulho
the noise
a máquina de lavar roupa
the washing machine
Questions & Answers about A máquina de lavar roupa faz barulho.
Why is 'washing machine' translated as a whole phrase, 'máquina de lavar roupa'?
In Portuguese, appliances and tools are often named by describing what they do. It literally means 'machine of to wash clothing'. You use de plus the infinitive verb (lavar) and the object (roupa) to show its purpose. Another common example is máquina de secar roupa (tumble dryer).
Why is 'roupa' singular here if the English translation says 'clothes'?
In Portuguese, roupa is typically used as a singular collective noun to mean 'clothing', 'apparel', or 'laundry'. While the plural roupas exists (usually for specific garments), the singular roupa is the standard way to talk about laundry in general.
Which verb does 'faz' come from, and is it always used for noise?
Why isn't there an article like 'um' before 'barulho'?
Because we are talking about noise in a general, uncountable sense, no article is needed. If you said faz um barulho, it would imply the machine makes one specific, strange noise (like a clank or a squeak), rather than just generally being loud.
Learn A máquina de lavar roupa faz barulho 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