With the help of adjectives in any language of the world, we add bright colors to our speech. Moreover, speech becomes more meaningful and richer. Since we also want to speak beautifully and varied in Portuguese, we will learn how adjectives change in different circumstances.
At first glance, there seem to be a lot of rules. In fact, this article is for informational purposes only. You don’t have to memorize every variation, but now you can pay attention to the endings of adjectives when you hear them in speech or come across in the text. And over time, you will learn how to use them correctly yourself.
Endings
We are used to the fact that most often masculine adjectives end in “-o”, and feminine ones end in “-a” in the singular. For example: um carro velho (an old car), uma casa nova (a new house). However, there are many different endings; they change the endings in different ways.
The simplest option is when the adjective has the ending “-e”. In this case, the masculine and feminine forms of the adjective are the same: um prédio grande (a large house), uma caixa grande (a large box). Or another example: um texto / uma pergunta diferente (different text / question)
Also, usually, if an adjective ends in a “-l”, its form also does not change for masculine and feminine gender. That is, um menino / uma menina amável (boy / girl kind)
Now let’s look at the endings of adjectives that change. For example, if the ending for the masculine gender is “-ão”, then to create the feminine form of this adjective, we simply remove the letter “-o”. This is clearly seen in the example of nationality: um nome alemão (German name), uma marca alemã (German mark)
Since we are talking about nationalities, we will deal with their endings. We may encounter the following masculine endings: “-ês” and “-l”. These adjectives include português, francês, espanhol. To make it feminine, we simply add the ending “-a”: portuguesa, francesa, espanhola. By the way, we do the same with other masculine adjectives that end in “-or”: um filme assustador (scary movie), uma notícia assustadora (terrible news)
The next type of adjective endings is “-u”. However, the ending “-eu” should be excluded from the list, since it uses a different scheme. And here we will not surprise you, since you also need to add the ending “-a” and the feminine form of the adjective is ready: um peixe cru (raw fish), uma carne crua (raw meat). But the ending “-eu” in the transition from masculine to feminine is changed to “-eia”: um número europeu (European number), uma língua europeia (European language)
Of course, there are exceptions to this thread that do not obey any rules. You can immediately recall the most popular adjectives: um homem bom (good man), uma mulher boa (good woman) or um prato mau (bad dish), uma comida má (bad food)
Plural Form
In most cases, the plural form of an adjective is formed by adding the letter “-s” at the end. This is especially true for adjectives that end in the singular with a vowel: uns casacos novos (new jackets), umas mesas velhas (old tables). However, if the last letter of the adjective is a consonant, then add “-es”: uns momentos felizes (happy moments), umas ações eficazes (effective actions)
In addition, we want to draw your attention to adjectives with the ending “-m”, because in the plural this letter is converted to “-ns”: uns temas comuns. But in adjectives with “-al, –el, –ol, –ul” the letter “-l” disappears and “-is” appears: umas canetas azuis (blue pens)
Of course, there are also exceptions, when something changes unconventionally or nothing is added: uns filmes alemães (German films), umas tarefas simples (simple tasks)
Adverbs
We decided to add the topic of the formation of adverbs to this article, since adverbs are obtained from adjectives by adding the ending “-mente”. And usually the feminine form of the adjective is taken as the initial one. Namely:
nova (new, feminine) – novamente (again, adverb)
feliz (happy, adjective) – felizmente (happy, adverb)
frequente (frequent , adjective) – frequentemente (often, adverb)
There are adverbs that are an exact copy of an adjective. For example: alto (high), devagar (slow), bonito (nice).
Superlative Form
The superlative degree of comparison of adjectives is the form that characterizes the noun to which it refers as “the most”. To create this form, you need to replace the ending with “-íssimo” for masculine and “-issima” for feminine. Such adjectives are also inflected by numbers.
As mulheres russas são lindíssimas. (Russian women are beautiful.)
Os diamantes são caríssimos. (Diamonds are expensive.)
There are adjectives that change in a special way. Simply put, exceptions. Here they are:
fácil (simple) – facílimo (simplest)difícil (difficult) – dificílimo (hardest)
feliz (happy) – felicíssimo (happiest)
And there are those adjectives that completely change, without even leaving the root. The most exceptional and special are:
Bom / boa (good) – ótimo / ótima (the best)
Mau / má (bad) – péssimo / péssima (the worst)
In the following examples, we will combine the standard forms of adjectives in Superlative Formand exceptions.
A tarefa foi dificílima, mas o resultado é ótimo. (The task was the most difficult, but the result is excellent.)
As esperanças eram péssimas, mas agora estou felicíssimo. (Expectations were the worst, but I’m the happiest now.)
There are few such special adjectives, but they are often used. Just memorize them once and for all.
Conclusion
Together with the adjectives that we use in speech, we express emotions. Without emotions, any story, dialogue and communication seem lifeless. Therefore, it is so great that today we studied this topic together with you.
Your adjective skills will improve as you practice. It is the practice that we do in our school. Therefore, if you need a good practice of the Portuguese language and consolidation of new knowledge, you know where to find us. Check out the different locations of the Caravel School, choose the most suitable one, or study online from anywhere in the world.