Language/Portuguese/Grammar/Gender
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How do we guess gender of nouns in Portuguese?
A noun is a word or a group of words which can be the subject of a verb and which corresponds semantically to an object of thought (being or class of beings, thing, property, state, feeling, process, relation, quantity... ).
Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson:Conditional Mood, Adjectives, How to Use Have & How to Use Be.
Nouns that are usually masculine in Portuguese[edit | edit source]
Nouns ending in O[edit | edit source]
- o jogo = game
- o barco = boat
- o prato = plate
Exceptions[edit | edit source]
Here is a common exception:
- a tribo = tribe
Nouns ending in I or U[edit | edit source]
- o abacaxi = pineapple
- o caju = cashew
- o bisturi = scalpel
- o baú = trunk
Nouns ending in a consonant[edit | edit source]
- o hotel = hotel
- o papel = paper
- o cristal = crystal
- o amor = love
- o mar = sea
- o lápis = pencil
- o país = country
Exceptions[edit | edit source]
There are exceptions. Some nouns ending in “or” are feminine:
- a dor = the pain
- a cor = the color
- a flor = the flower
Nouns ending in EMA[edit | edit source]
This might be counter intuitive because of the “a” at the end:
- o problema = problem
- o cinema = cinema
- o telefonema = phone call
Nouns usually feminine in Portuguese[edit | edit source]
Nouns ending in Ã[edit | edit source]
- a maçã = apple
- a manhã = morning
- a hortelã = mint
Exceptions[edit | edit source]
There are exceptions, of course:
- o talismã = talisman
- o ímã = magnet
Nouns ending in A[edit | edit source]
- a cadeira = chair
- a cama = bed
- a mesa = table
Exceptions[edit | edit source]
A couple of very common exceptions to this rule:
- o mapa = map
- o dia = day
Nouns ending in DADE[edit | edit source]
- a cidade = city
- a universidade = university
- a tempestade = storm
Nouns ending in AÇÃO[edit | edit source]
- a nação = nation
- a ação = action
- a confirmação = confirmation
Nouns ending in AGEM[edit | edit source]
- a viagem = trip
- a garagem = garage (not parking)
- a massagem = massage
Some nouns have a single form for masculine and feminine[edit | edit source]
Nouns ending in ENTE[edit | edit source]
- o/a paciente = patient
- o/a cliente = client
- o/a parente = relative (family member)
Nouns ending in ANTE[edit | edit source]
- o/a fumante = smoker
- o/a estudante = student
- o/a ajudante = helper
Nouns ending in ISTA[edit | edit source]
- o/a dentista = dentist
- o/a massagista = masseur
- o/a turista = tourist
Videos[edit | edit source]
How to recognize feminine and masculine noun in Portuguese[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]