Ackerlind Sheila R., Jones-Kellogg Rebecca. Portuguese: A Reference Manual
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Portuguese
62
GENDER OF NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
1) All Portuguese nouns are either masculine or feminine (unlike English nouns).
Gender is arbitrary for most nouns except those designating persons and certain animals.
Although there are predictable patterns that can help to determine the gender of many
nouns, one must memorize the gender of those nouns that do not follow a pattern.
2) Masculine nouns
a) Most nouns ending in the following letters are masculine, as are the names of letters
(unlike in Spanish)
1
and cardinal numbers.
-o is the most common ending.
ENDING
EXAMPLES
EXCEPTIONS
-o
o carro
a foto
(= fotografia)
a moto
(= motocicleta)
a tribo
(Sp. la tribu)
-om
o som
-á
o sofá
-é
o café
-i(m)
o júri
/
o fim
-u(m)
o peru
/
o álbum
-en
o hífen
-s
o lápis
-l
o capital
(money)
a capital
(capital city)
o moral
2
(morale)
a moral
2
(moral of story)
-r
o motor
a cor / a dor / a flor
LETTERS:
o "c"
1
(= cê)
CARDINAL NUMBERS:
o "2"
(= dois)
b) The following nouns are masculine but refer to a person or animal of either gender.
o animal
(animal)
o cônjuge
(spouse)
o anjo
(angel)
o indivíduo
(individual)
c) Certain animals have only a masculine form; to refer to the female, include the noun
fêmea ("female").
o dromedário fêmea
/
a fêmea do dromedário
(female dromedary)
o sapo fêmea
/
a fêmea do sapo
(female toad)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes to Spanish Speakers:
1
See p. 67 for differences in gender between Portuguese and Spanish noun cognates.
2
Sp. el moral means "mulberry tree"; la moral, "morale"; la moraleja, "moral of story."
Grammatical Categories
63
3) Feminine nouns
a) Most nouns ending in the following letters are feminine.
-a is the most common ending.
ENDING
EXAMPLES
EXCEPTIONS
-a
a camisa
o dia
o mapa
words of Greek origin in -(gra)ma
(o telegrama / o problema / o clima / o idioma, etc.)
-ã
a manhã
o talismã
-ice (stressed i)
1
a velhice
-agem
2
a viagem
2
o/a personagem
o/a selvagem
-ez
a estupidez
o xadrez
-se
3
a tese
o parêntese
-ção
a duração
o coração
-são
a decisão
o artesão / o cortesão / o travessão
-dão
a exatidão
-dade
a liberdade
-tade
a vontade
-tude
a altitude
b) The following nouns are feminine but refer to a person or animal of either gender.
a besta
(beast)
a criança
(child)
a fera
(beast / wild animal)
a pessoa
(person)
a testemunha
(witness)
a vítima
(victim)
c) Certain animals have only a feminine form; to refer to the male, include the noun
macho ("male").
a baleia macho
/
o macho da baleia
(male whale)
a cobra macho
/
o macho da cobra
(male snake)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
Words ending in -ice (unstressed i) are often masculine: o apêndice / o cálice / o índice
(exceptions: o/a hélice // a apólice).
Notes to Spanish Speakers:
2
See p. 67 for differences in gender between Portuguese and Spanish noun cognates.
3
Spanish cognates (which end in -sis) are sometimes masculine (see p. 67 for examples).
Portuguese
64
4) The ending often indicates the gender of nouns designating persons and animals, as well
as of many adjectives. The following are the masculine and respective feminine endings
(= gender markers) of these nouns and adjectives.
MASC.
FEM.
MASC.
FEM.
PATTERN /
EXCEPTIONS
ENDING
ENDING
EXAMPLES
EXAMPLES
DETAILS
-o
-a
o tio
a tia
-o
>
-a
1
coitadinho
4
coitadinha
4
-or
-ora
o professor
a professora
add a
2
comparative suffix:
encantador
encantadora
o/a melhor / pior
o/a maior / menor
-ês
-esa
o freguês
a freguesa
add a
2
and
chinês
chinesa
drop ˆ
-ão
-ã
o irmão
a irmã
-ão
>
-ã
2
vão
vã
-ão
-oa
o leão
a leoa
-ão
>
-oa
3
o patrão
a patroa
-ão
-ona
o solteirão
5
a solteirona
5
-ão
>
-ona
3
-or
-(t)riz
6
o ator
a atriz
-or
>
-(t)riz
3
-a
-isa
6
o poeta
a poetisa
-a
>
-isa
3
-u
-ua
7
cru
crua
-u
>
-ua
3
nu
nua
-eu
-eia
8
europeu
europeia
-eu
>
-eia
3
judeu > judia
plebeu
plebeia
meu > minha
teu / seu > tua / sua
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
Most common pattern.
2
Less common patterns.
3
Least common patterns.
4
Diminutive suffix.
5
Augmentative suffix.
6
Like Eng. -ess ("actress"), these endings may connote a lack of experience or professionalism;
many women, therefore, prefer the masculine noun with the feminine article (a ator / uma poeta).
7
This ending is more common in adjectives than in nouns.
8
Portuguese no longer uses an acute accent over stressed e of ei in words stressed on the
next-to-last syllable.
Grammatical Categories
65
5) Certain nouns designating persons and animals have irregular feminine forms;
others have entirely different masculine and feminine forms, derived from different roots.
MASCULINE
ENGLISH (m)
FEMININE
ENGLISH (f)
o macho
male
a fêmea
1
female
o rapaz
boy
a rapariga
girl (EP)
prostitute (BP)
o homem
man
a mulher
woman
o avô
grandfather
a avó
grandmother
o esposo / o marido
husband
a esposa
wife
o pai
father
a mãe
mother
o genro
son-in-law
a nora
daughter-in-law
o frade
monk
a freira
nun
o herói
hero
a heroína
heroine
o rei
king
a rainha
queen
o bode
billy-goat
a cabra
nanny-goat
o cão
male dog
a cadela
female dog / bitch
o carneiro
ram
a ovelha
ewe
o cavalo
male horse
a égua
mare
o galo
rooster
a galinha
hen
o touro / o boi
bull / ox
a vaca
cow
6) Certain nouns or adjectives designating persons and animals are invariable in gender
(i.e., the masculine and feminine forms are the same); gender is indicated by the article.
endings:
-a:
o/a
caixa / carioca / colega / indígena / guia / patriota
-cida:
o/a
homicida / suicida
-crata:
o/a
burocrata / democrata
-ense:
o/a
canadense / estad(o)unidense / timorense
-ista:
o/a
artista / paulista / socialista
-nte:
o/a
estudante / cliente / doente / gerente / ouvinte
isolated words:
o/a
cadete
(cadet)
o/a
mártir
(martyr)
o/a
intérprete
(interpreter)
o/a
policial
(policeperson)
o/a
jovem
(youth)
7) The following masculine nouns ending in -e generate feminine forms ending in -a
(a linguistic tendency exerting influence over other traditionally gender-invariable nouns).
MASCULINE
ENGLISH (m)
FEMININE
ENGLISH (f)
o infante
infant(e) / prince
a infanta
infant(a) / princess
o monge
monk
a monja
nun
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
Like Eng. "female," fêmea may connote a lack of respect for a woman.
Portuguese
66
8) Adjectives ending in the following letters are invariable in gender, as are colors that are
really nouns, the following cardinal numbers, and the words só ("sole" / "only") and
mais / menos
1
("more" / "less").
ENDING
EXAMPLES
EXCEPTIONS
-e
triste
(menos pessoas tristes)
-m
marrom
(blusa marrom)
bom
>
boa
comum
(lugares comuns)
um
>
uma
-l
útil
(teoria útil)
espanhol
>
espanhola
-z
feliz
(mais pessoas felizes)
-ar
circular
(a só pintura circular)
unstressed vowel + s
simples
(pessoa simples)
COLORS (cor-de-):
laranja
(caderno laranja)
rosa
(prédios rosa)
CARDINAL NUMBERS:
3–99
trinta e oito
(alunos / alunas)
um / dois and compounds:
um
>
uma
dois
>
duas
100
cem
(alunos / alunas)
cento e...
(alunos / alunas)
compounds of cento:
(duz)entos
>
(duz)entas
1000
mil
(alunos / alunas)
9) The following feminine forms are irregular.
bom
>
boa
(good)
mau
>
má
(bad)
10) The masculine form of a gender-variable noun or adjective is used to refer to (pro)nouns
of both genders.
2
Ana e os seus filhos são médicos e muito simpáticos.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
Although mais / menos often function as quantifying adjectives (mais amor / menos brigas),
they remain invariable in gender and number.
2
As seen in the example, the plural form of a noun / adjective is used to refer to both a singular
and a plural (pro)noun; i.e., masculine / plural prevail over feminine / singular in determining
grammatical agreement.
Grammatical Categories
67
DIFFERENCES IN GENDER
BETWEEN PORTUGUESE AND SPANISH NOUN COGNATES
Certain Portuguese and Spanish noun cognates differ in gender.
PORTUGUESE
SPANISH
ENGLISH
all letters:
o "c"
la "c"
certain electronic devices:
o aspirador
la aspiradora
vacuum cleaner
o computador
la computadora
computer
o gravador
la grabadora
recorder
ending:
-agem (f):
1, 2
-aje (m):
a viagem
el viaje
voyage
isolated words:
a margem
el / la margen
margin / bank (of river)
a ordem
el / la orden
legal / religious order
a origem
el origen
origin
a análise
el análisis
analysis
a ênfase
el énfasis
emphasis
a êxtase
el éxtasis
ecstasy
a árvore
el árbol
tree
a equipe
el equipo
team
a ponte
el puente
bridge
a cor
el color
color
a dor
el dolor
pain / ache / grief
o riso / o sorriso
la risa / la sonrisa
laughter / smile
o cárcere
la cárcel
prison
o costume
la costumbre
custom
o creme
la crema
cream
o leite
la leche
milk
o sangue
la sangre
blood
o mel
la miel
honey
o sal
la sal
salt
o nariz
la nariz
nose
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
Exceptions:
a imagem
la imagen
image
a vantagem
la ventaja
(ad)vantage
2
personagem / selvagem are masculine when referring to a male.
Portuguese
68
PLACEMENT OF ADJECTIVES WITH NOUNS
1) Portuguese qualifying (descriptive) adjectives usually follow the nouns and pronouns that
they modify (unlike English adjectives).
uma casa bonita, branca, e extraordinária
2) Articles and quantifying adjectives usually precede the nouns that they modify,
as do superlative, demonstrative, relative, and interrogative adjectives.
CATEGORY
EXAMPLES
article
as / umas casas bonitas
quantifying adj.
duas / poucas / tantas casas bonitas
superlative adj.
a melhor casa
demonstrative adj.
esta / essa / aquela casa bonita
relative adj.
a família, cuja casa é bonita
interrogative adj.
que / quantas casas bonitas?
3) Certain adjectives differ in meaning according to where they are placed; compare:
PORTUGUESE
ENGLISH
a única pessoa
the only person
a pessoa única
the unique person
uma certa pessoa
a certain person
uma pessoa certa
a right person
toda pessoa
each / every person
a pessoa toda
the whole / entire person
alguma pessoa
a / any person
(= affirmative)
pessoa alguma
no person
(= negative)
a mesma pessoa
the same person
a pessoa mesma
the person himself / herself
uma pobre pessoa
a poor person
(= unfortunate)
uma pessoa pobre
a poor person
(= destitute)
uma grande pessoa
a great person
uma pessoa grande
a large person
Grammatical Categories
69
DIMINUTIVES AND AUGMENTATIVES
1) The following are the most common Portuguese diminutive suffixes, which are affixed
to nouns and adjectives.
1
Diminutives usually connote smallness or an endearing quality,
and they occasionally convey sarcasm, irony, and even emphasis. Any circumflex or acute
accent in the root word disappears in the diminutive.
ROOT WORD
SUFFIXES / EXAMPLES
DETAILS
(PATTERN)
-inho (m) / -inha (f):
2, 3
often used after:
livro
livrinho(s)
radical of word ending in unstressed vowel
barco
barquinho(s)
(c > qu)
amiga
amiguinha(s)
(g > gu)
português
portuguesinho(s)
word ending in -s
(drop ˆ)
rapaz
rapazinho(s)
word ending in -z
-zinho (m) / -zinha (f):
2, 3
often used after word ending in:
irmã
irmãzinha(s)
stressed vowel
pé
pezinho(s)
(drop ´)
bom /
bons
bonzinho(s)
(-m
> n
in plural)
4
boa
boazinha(s)
stressed + unstressed vowel sequence
pai
paizinho(s)
stressed diphthong
mãe
mãezinha(s)
mão
mãozinha(s)
limão /
limões
limãozinho
/
limõezinhos
(-ão
> õe
in plural)
4
pão /
pães
pãozinho
/
pãezinhos
(-ão
> ãe
in plural)
4
animal /
animais
animalzinho
/
animaizinhos
-l
(-l
> i
in plural)
4
flor
florzinha(s)
-r
2) The following root words change their meaning in the diminutive form.
cachorro
(dog)
cachorrinho
(puppy)
café
(coffee)
cafezinho
(espresso)
curso
(course / class)
cursinho
(college preparatory course)
gato
(cat)
gatinho
(kitten)
pão
(bread)
pãozinho
([bread] roll)
peixe
(fish)
peixinho
(little fish // teacher's pet)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
Other suffixes are -acho/a // -alho/a // -ebre // -eco/a // -ejo/a // -ela // -elho/a // -ete / -eto/a //
-icho/a // -ico/a // -iço/a // -ilho/a // -im / -ino/a // -ola // -ote / -ota // -ucho/a // -(c)ulo/a // -usco/a.
2
EP: Also -(z)ito/a.
3
Note to Spanish Speakers: Port. -(z)inho/a (pãozinho / mesinha) corresponds to Sp. -(c)ito/a
(panecito / mesita).
4
To form the plural diminutive, affix the plural diminutive suffix to the plural form of the root word,
minus the plural marker -s (animal > animais > animaizinhos).
Portuguese
70
3) The following are the most common Portuguese augmentative suffixes, which are affixed
to nouns and adjectives.
1
Augmentatives usually connote largeness, and they occasionally
convey a pejorative meaning (ugliness, dislike, repugnance, scorn, etc.); for this reason,
augmentatives should be avoided until their nuances have been learned. Any circumflex or
acute accent in the root word disappears in the augmentative.
ROOT WORD
SUFFIXES / EXAMPLES
DETAILS
(PATTERN)
-ão (m) / -ona (f):
2
(-ão > -ões in plural)
menino
meninão / meninões
-ão:
frequently used with masculine nouns
mulher
mulherona(s)
-ona:
used with feminine nouns
faca (f)
facão / facões (m)
-ão:
sometimes used with—and changes
gender of—feminine nouns
-ao (m) / -ona (f):
3
often used after radical of word ending in
livro
livrão / livrões
unstressed vowel
4
barriga
barrigona(s)
-zão (m) / -zona (f):
often used after word ending in:
4
pé
pezão / pezões
stressed vowel
(drop ´)
mão
mãozona(s)
stressed diphthong
4) The following root words change their meaning in the augmentative form.
5
carta
(letter)
cartão
(card / cardboard)
casa
(house)
casarão
(mansion)
dinheiro
(money)
dinheirão
(large amount / wad of money)
faca
(knife)
facão // facalhão
(really big [butcher's] knife)
folia
(mirth)
folião / foliona
(party-goer / carouser)
palavra
(word)
palavrão
(swear word)
porta
(door)
portão
(big door / gate)
solteira
(single woman)
solteirona
(old maid)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
In addition to -gão / -gona (see note 3 below), other suffixes are -aço/a // -alhão / -alhona //
-anzil // -arra / -arrão // -astro/a // -az / -ázio/a // -eirão / -eiro/a // -ilão / -ilona // -orra.
2
Note to Spanish Speakers: Port. -ão / -ona (solteirão / solteirona) corresponds to Sp. -ón / -ona
(solterón / solterona).
3
-gão / -gona is often used with words ending in -z (nariz > narigão).
4
Since there are countless exceptions to these guidelines, the best way to learn augmentatives is
to observe how native speakers use them.
5
An augmentative ending affixed to the radical of a verb sometimes means "a lot":
chorar
(to cry)
chorão / chorona
(crybaby // weeping willow [m])
mandar
(to command / order)
mandão / mandona
(bossy person)
comer
(to eat)
comilão / comilona
(glutton / "pig")
dormir
(to sleep)
dormilão / dormilona
(sleepyhead)
Grammatical Categories
71
NUMBERS AND NUMERALS
1) The following are the Portuguese cardinal and ordinal numbers from 0 to 99.
CARDINAL
CARDINAL
MASC. ORDINAL
MASC. ORDINAL
NUMERAL
NUMBER
NUMBER
NUMERAL
(fem. form ends in -a)
(fem. form ends in
0
zero
superscript -a)
1
um (m) /
uma (f)
primeiro
1
o
2
dois (m) /
duas (f)
1
segundo
2
o
3
três
terceiro
3
o
4
quatro
quarto
4
o
5
cinco
quinto
5
o
6
seis
sexto
6
o
7
sete
sétimo
7
o
8
oito
oitavo
8
o
9
nove
nono
9
o
10
dez
décimo
10
o
11
onze
décimo primeiro
11
o
12
doze
décimo segundo
12
o
13
treze
décimo terceiro
13
o
14
catorze / quatorze
décimo quarto
14
o
15
quinze
décimo quinto
15
o
16
dezesseis
2
(= 10 + 6)
décimo sexto
16
o
17
dezessete
2
(= 10 + 7)
décimo sétimo
17
o
18
dezoito
(= 10 + 8)
décimo oitavo
18
o
19
dezenove
2
(= 10 + 9)
décimo nono
19
o
20
vinte
vigésimo
20
o
21
vinte e um /
uma
vigésimo primeiro
21
o
22
vinte e dois /
duas
vigésimo segundo
22
o
30
trinta
trigésimo
30
o
40
quarenta
quadragésimo
40
o
50
cinquenta
quinquagésimo
3
50
o
60
sessenta
sexagésimo
60
o
70
setenta
septuagésimo
70
o
80
oitenta
octogésimo
80
o
90
noventa
nonagésimo
90
o
99
noventa e nove
nonagésimo nono
99
o
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1
Note to Spanish Speakers: Unlike in Spanish, the number dois is masculine; its feminine form
(used alone as well as in compounds) is duas.
2
EP: dezasseis / dezassete / dezanove, respectively.
3
Portuguese no longer uses a dieresis (¨) over the u of qu to transcribe [k
u
].