A1Lesson 1: Gender, Number & Articles
Regular plurals are formed by changing the ending of the noun or adjective according to predictable rules.
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Portuguese plurals follow a "majority rules" system – when one word goes plural, its whole gang (articles, adjectives) must follow suit. It's like a grammatical flash mob where everyone must dance the same dance.
Just add -s. That's it. You're done. Go home.
| Singular | Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|
| casa | casas | duas casas (two houses) |
| livro | livros | três livros (three books) |
| menina | meninas | as meninas (the girls) |
| café | cafés | dois cafés (two coffees) |
| táxi | táxis | muitos táxis (many taxis) |
Add -es to make them pronounceable:
| Singular | Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|
| professor | professores | os professores (the teachers) |
| mulher | mulheres | as mulheres (the women) |
| rapaz | rapazes | os rapazes (the young men) |
| país | países | dois países (two countries) |
| vez | vezes | muitas vezes (many times) |
Note: Words ending in -s with stress on the last syllable add -es. Others don't change!
-l becomes -is (it's like magic!):
| Singular | Plural | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| animal | animais | -al → -ais |
| papel | papéis | -el → -éis |
| azul | azuis | -ul → -uis |
| fácil | fáceis | -il → -eis (stressed) |
| útil | úteis | -il → -eis |
Special case: -il unstressed becomes -is:
Every -m becomes -ns:
| Singular | Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|
| homem | homens | os homens (the men) |
| jardim | jardins | dois jardins (two gardens) |
| bom | bons | dias bons (good days) |
| jovem | jovens | os jovens (the young people) |
| nuvem | nuvens | as nuvens (the clouds) |
This ending has THREE possible plurals. Yes, THREE. No, there's no logic.
Type 1: -ão → -ões (most common)
Type 2: -ão → -ães (rarest)
Type 3: -ão → -ãos (simplest)
When you make a noun plural, everything connected must follow:
Singular: O gato preto (The black cat)
Plural: Os gatos pretos (The black cats)
Singular: Uma casa bonita (A beautiful house)
Plural: Umas casas bonitas (Some beautiful houses)
Singular: Este homem alto (This tall man)
Plural: Estes homens altos (These tall men)
| Article | Number | Noun | Adjective | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O | um | menino | feliz | The/A happy boy |
| Os | dois | meninos | felizes | The/Two happy boys |
| A | uma | menina | feliz | The/A happy girl |
| As | três | meninas | felizes | The/Three happy girls |
These follow special rules:
Some words are identical in singular and plural:
