Question 1

Both cadeirão and salão end in -ão. Are they augmentatives of other words?

Accepted Answer

Yes! The word cadeirão comes from cadeira (chair), so it literally means a big chair, which we call an armchair. Similarly, salão comes from sala (room), meaning a very large room, lounge, or hall.

Question 2

Since cadeira and sala are feminine words, why does the sentence use the masculine words naquele and no before them?

Accepted Answer

When you add the augmentative suffix -ão to a feminine noun, the new word almost always becomes masculine. Because of this gender swap, a cadeira becomes o cadeirão, and a sala becomes o salão. That is why we use the masculine contractions naquele (em + aquele) and no (em + o).

Question 3

How would I make cadeirão and salão plural if there were multiple armchairs or halls?

Accepted Answer

Most augmentative words ending in -ão form their plural by changing to -ões. To talk about multiple armchairs, you would say cadeirões, and for multiple halls, you would say salões.

Question 4

Why does the sentence start with O meu avô instead of just Meu avô?

Accepted Answer

In European Portuguese, it is standard to put a definite article (like O) before a possessive word (like meu). You will see this nearly every time you talk about something or someone belonging to you, like your grandfather.

O meu avô dorme naquele cadeirão no salão.

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