Breakdown of A gasolina está cara este ano.
estar
to be (temporary / location)
o ano
the year
caro
expensive
o este
the east
Questions & Answers about A gasolina está cara este ano.
Why is there an "A" before "gasolina" when the English translation just says "Petrol"?
In Portuguese, you almost always need a definite article (o or a) when talking about a general concept or substance. Because gasolina is a feminine noun, we must use A gasolina to say "petrol in general".
Why use está (temporary) instead of é (permanent)? Isn't the high price a fact?
We use estar because prices fluctuate. By saying está cara, you mean petrol is expensive right now or this year. If you said é cara (using ser), it would imply that petrol is an inherently expensive luxury item that is always costly regardless of the market.
Why is the word for expensive spelled cara here instead of caro?
Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in both gender and number. Since gasolina is a feminine singular noun, the default masculine adjective caro changes to its feminine form, cara.
Why is it este ano and not esse ano?