In this lesson we'll be talking about Portuguese articles. Not the kind of articles you read in a magazine, but the kind that precede nouns. You might not realize it, but you already probably know a lot about Portuguese articles.
Basically, these are words that indicate what item you're taking about. As in the apple – a maçã – or an apple – uma maçã. See the difference? In the first one you mean a certain apple, but in the second, it could be any old apple.
One thing to note that is different between English and Portuguese is that Portuguese nouns have gender and the article matches that gender. Let's get started!
Resources for further reading:
Rocket Record lets you perfect your Portuguese pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
artigo
article
o
the (singular, masculine)
a
the (singular, feminine)
os
the (plural, masculine)
as
the (plural, feminine)
Um
A/an (singular, masculine)
Uma
A/an (singular, feminine)
uns / alguns
a / an (singular, masculine)
umas / algumas
a / an (singular, feminine)
artigo indefinido
indefinite article
artigo definido
definite article
feminino
feminine
masculino
masculine
plural
plural
singular
singular
That wasn't so bad, was it? As you can see, these words are extremely important for everyday speech. For the most part, just match the ending of the word with the article, and you're set! Native speakers will be impressed with your knowledge and ability to use these correctly.
Keep practicing!
Here are a few recommended Portuguese lessons to try next!
Tchau
Tereza Pereira: Rocket Portuguese
Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!