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A literatura portuguesa é rica.

A literatura portuguesa é rica.
Portuguese literature is rich.
From Lesson 180:A cultura e o desporto (a canção, empatar)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of A literatura portuguesa é rica.

ser
to be
rico
rich
a literatura
the literature

Questions & Answers about A literatura portuguesa é rica.

Why is there an "A" at the beginning? The English translation just says "Portuguese literature."
In Portuguese, general concepts, broad categories, and abstract nouns (like art, science, or in this case, literatura) almost always require a definite article (the words for "the": o, a, os, as). So, the sentence literally translates to "The Portuguese literature is rich."
Why isn't "portuguesa" capitalized?
Unlike in English, nationalities and languages are not capitalized in Portuguese unless they are the very first word in a sentence. Since it's an adjective describing the literature here, portuguesa is written in lowercase.
Why use "é" instead of "está" for "is"?
É comes from the verb ser, which is used for permanent, defining, or inherent characteristics. The richness of Portuguese literature is viewed as an enduring historical quality, not a temporary condition, so we must use ser rather than estar (which gives us está).
Almost every word in this sentence ends in "a". Is that on purpose?
Yes! The core noun here is literatura, which is feminine and singular. In Portuguese, all connected words must "agree" by also being feminine and singular. That is why we use the feminine article A, the feminine adjective portuguesa, and the feminine adjective rica.

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