Language/Portuguese/Grammar/Nouns

How to Use Nouns in Portuguese

Nouns are fundamental to language, referring to people, places, things, animals, or concepts. In grammar, they play a significant role as the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or a preposition.

In Portuguese, nouns have a gender, either masculine or feminine, which affects the use of accompanying words like articles and adjectives. Learning the gender of individual nouns and their gender agreement rules is essential for effective communication in the language.

Additionally, the plural form of nouns in Portuguese follows specific rules based on the word ending. These rules can be challenging for non-native speakers, but they are essential for conveying the correct meaning and avoiding confusion in communication.

By comprehending and practicing the usage of common nouns in Portuguese, learners can improve their language skills and become more confident in communicating in the language. This lesson will delve into the rules and usage of common nouns in Portuguese, including their gender and plural forms.

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages:Conditional Mood, Adjectives, How to Use Be & Questions.

Gender of Nouns in Portuguese

It is important to note that in Portuguese, the majority of nouns ending in -o are masculine, while the majority of nouns ending in -a are feminine, which is a rule that also applies in Spanish. For instance, words such as "o passaro" (the bird), "o livro" (the book), and "o cachorro" (the dog) are all masculine. On the other hand, "a casa" (the house), "a lareira" (the fireplace), and "a garrafa" (the bottle) are all feminine.

However, there are some exceptions to this rule, such as nouns that end in -gem, -dade, or -ção, which are often feminine even if the French translation is not feminine. Some examples of such words are "a viagem" (the trip), "a lição" (the lesson), "a cidade" (the city), and "a estação" (the train station).

While this may seem daunting at first, it is an important aspect of learning Portuguese and can greatly enhance your ability to communicate effectively in the language. By becoming familiar with the gender of different nouns, you can ensure that you are using the correct articles and pronouns, which can have a significant impact on the overall clarity of your message.

Additionally, it is worth noting that there are some Portuguese nouns that are of common gender, meaning they can be either masculine or feminine depending on the context. These nouns often end in -e, -or, or -ão. For example, "o agente" (the agent) can be either masculine or feminine depending on whether the agent is male or female. Likewise, "o estudante" (the student) can be used for both male and female students.

Learning the gender of nouns in Portuguese can be challenging for non-native speakers, but it is an important aspect of mastering the language. To become proficient in Portuguese, it is necessary to memorize the gender of individual words, as well as to develop an intuition for which gender certain types of words tend to be. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help learners of Portuguese practice and develop their language skills, such as online courses, language exchange programs, and language learning apps.

Portuguese Nouns Agreement

In Portuguese, nouns agree in gender, meaning that the article, adjective, and other accompanying words must agree with the gender of the noun they are modifying. For example, to talk about a male friend we would use the word "amigo," while to talk about a female friend we would use the word "amiga." Nouns ending in -ês will become -esa in the feminine form.

This agreement also applies to adjectives, which must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, similar to the rules in French. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, particularly with masculine adjectives that end in -a, -ar, -e, -l, -m, -s, or -z, which do not change in the feminine.

In Portuguese, adjectives are usually placed after the noun they modify, with some exceptions. For example, we would say "um chapéu grande" for a big hat, and "uma casa amarela" for a yellow house.

While understanding and applying these rules can be challenging for non-native speakers, it is essential to learn them to communicate effectively in Portuguese. Practice and repetition can help learners to master the gender agreement rules, and there are many resources available, such as language courses, textbooks, and language exchange programs, to assist in learning the Portuguese language.

Nouns:

• O cão (the dog, masculine)
• A gata (the cat, feminine)
• O pássaro (the bird, masculine)
• A borboleta (the butterfly, feminine)
• O leão (the lion, masculine)
• A girafa (the giraffe, feminine)

Adjectives:

• Um cão grande (a big dog, masculine singular)
• Uma gata pequena (a small cat, feminine singular)
• Uns pássaros vermelhos (some red birds, masculine plural)
• Umas borboletas amarelas (some yellow butterflies, feminine plural)
• Um leão feroz (a fierce lion, masculine singular)
• Uma girafa alta (a tall giraffe, feminine singular)

Exceptions with Masculine Adjectives:

• Um café quente (a hot coffee, masculine singular)
• Uma blusa rosa (a pink blouse, feminine singular)
• Um filme bom (a good movie, masculine singular)
• Uma televisão preta (a black TV, feminine singular)

Portuguese Nouns Plural

In addition to the gender agreement rules, the plural of adjectives and nouns in Portuguese also has specific rules based on the word ending. Here are some examples to illustrate these rules:

Words ending in a vowel (except -ão): plural by adding an -s

• O livro (the book) -> Os livros (the books)
• A mesa (the table) -> As mesas (the tables)
• O amigo (the friend) -> Os amigos (the friends)

Words ending in -l: plural by changing -l to -is

• O animal (the animal) -> Os animais (the animals)
• A escola (the school) -> As escolas (the schools)
• O papel (the paper) -> Os papéis (the papers)

Words ending in -n, -r, -s, -z: plural by adding -es

• O jardim (the garden) -> Os jardins (the gardens)
• O professor (the teacher) -> Os professores (the teachers)
• A luz (the light) -> As luzes (the lights)

Words ending in -m: plural by changing -m to -ns

• O item (the item) -> Os itens (the items)
• O som (the sound) -> Os sons (the sounds)
• O problema (the problem) -> Os problemas (the problems)

Words ending in -il: plural by changing -il to -eis

• O barril (the barrel) -> Os barris (the barrels)
• O fuzil (the rifle) -> Os fuzis (the rifles)
• O cantil (the canteen) -> Os cantis (the canteens)

Words ending in -ão: offer several possibilities in the plural: add an -s, change -ão to -ões, or change -ão to -ães

• A mão (the hand) -> As mãos (the hands) or Os mãos (less common)
• O coração (the heart) -> Os corações (the hearts)
• A estação (the station) -> As estações (the stations) or Os estações (less common)

Common Portuguese Nouns

Noun	Translation	Sound
A Ajuda	The Help	[ah ah-joo-dah]
A Água	The Water	[ah ah-goo-ah]
O Apelido	The Surname	[oo ah-peh-lee-doo]
Os Anos	The Years	[oosh ah-noosh]
O Autocarro	The Bus (in EU Portuguese)	[oo aoo-toh-car-roo]
(O) Azar	(The) Bad luck Tough	[oo ah-zahr]
O Balcão	The Balcony The Counter	[oo bahl-kaong]
O Banho	The Bath	[oo bah-nyioo]
O Bilhete	The Ticket	[oo bee-lyieh-teh]
O Cartão	The Card	[oo cahr-taong]
A Casa	The House The Home	[ah kah-sah]
A Chegada	The Arrival	[ah shay-gah-dah]
O Casal	The Couple	[oo kah-zahl] in EU [oo kah-zahoo] in BR
A Coisa	The Thing	[Ah koee-zah]
A Conta	The Bill	[ah-kong-tah]
O Copo	The Glass	[oo koh-poo]
O Cuidado	Careful The carefulness	[oo-koo-ee-dah-doo]
A Desculpa	The Excuse	[ah dsh-cool-pah]
O Dia	The Day	[oo deer]
O Dinheiro	The Money The Cash	[oo dee-nyieh-ee-roh]
A Direita	The Right hand side	[ah dee-ray-ee-tah]
O Direito	The (legal) Right	[oo dee-ray-ee-too]
A Era	The Era	[ah air-rah]
O Esquerdo/A Esquerda	The Left hand side	[ah eesh-kayr-dah] [oo eesh-kayr-doo]
A Esquina	The Corner	[ah sh-keen-ah]
O Estudo	The Study	[oo sh-too-doo]
O Favor	The Favour	[oo fah-vohr]
O Fim	The End	[oo feeng]
A Frente	The front	[ah-frayn-tt] in EU [ah-frayn-tchee] in BR
O Frio	The cold	[oo free-oo]
A Gente	One (The people) We	[ah jayn-tt] in EU and [ah jayn-tt] in BR
O Homem	The Man	[oo oh-mayeen]
* A Hora (also compare with Tempo and Vez)	The Time The Hour	[ah oh-rah]
O Horário	The Timetable	[oo oh-ráh-ree-oo]
A Ida	The Go	[ah ee-dah]
O Lado	The Side	[oo lah-doo]
A Licença	The Permission The Licence	[ah lee-sayn-sah]
A Maioria (de)	Most (of) The majority (of)	[ah may-oo-ree-ah]
O Mal	The Bad thing	[oo mahll]
O MêsOs Meses	The month/The months	[oo may-sh] [oosh may-say-sh]
O Minuto	The minute	[oo mee-noo-too]
A Mulher	The Woman The Wife	[ah moo-lyier]
A Noite	The Night	[ah noh-ee-teh]
O Nome	The Name	[oo noh-meh]
As Novidades	The News (in terms of what is new)	[ash noo-vee-dah-desh]
O Número	The Number	[oo noo-may-roh]
O Ônibus	The Bus (Brazilian Portuguese	[oo oh-nee-booss]
A Palavra	The Word	[ah pah-lah-vrah]
(Os) Parabéns	(The) Congratulations	[(oosh) pah-rah-baingsh]
O Pé	The Foot	[oo peh]
As Pessoas	The People	[ash peh-soh-ash]
A Porta	The Door	[ah pohr-tah]
O Português	The Portuguese	[oo poor-too-gay-sh]
O Prato	The Plate The dish	[oo prah-too]
A Pressa	The hurry The Rush	[ah pray-sah]
O Primeiro	The first	[oo pree-mahee-roh]
O Princípio	The Beginning	[oo preen-cee-peeoh]
O Problema	The Problem	[oh proh-blay-mah]
O Próximo	The Next The following	[oo pro-see-moo]
O Quarto	The Fourth The Bedroom	[oo kwar-too]
O Recado	The Message	[oo ray-kah-doo]
A Rua	The road The street	[ah roo-ah]
O Semáforo	The Traffic lights	[oo say-mah-foo-roh]
A Semana	The Week	[ah say-mah-nah]
A Sorte	The Luck	[ah sohr-tt] in EU or [ah sohr-tchee] in BR
(A) Tarde	Late (The) Afternoon	[(ah) tar-deh] in EU or [(ah) tar-tchee] in BR
* O Tempo (also compare with Horas and Vez)	The Time (as The Weather	[oo taym-poo]
O Trabalho	The Work The Assignment	[oo trah-bah-lyioo]
O Troco	The Change	[oo troh-koo]
O Último	The Last (one)	[oo ool-tee-moo] in EU and [oo ool-tchee-moo] in BR
* A Vez (also compare with Tempo and Horas)	The turn The time	[ah vaysh]
A Viagem	The journey The Trip	[ah vee-ah-jaying]
A Volta	The Return The Going back	[ah vohl-tah]
O Vôo	The Flight	[oo voh-oo]

Other Lessons

• How to Use Be
• Time
• Questions
• Future Tense
• Porquê VS Porque
• Plural
• Conditional Mood
• How to Use Have
• Gender