Nouns (e.g.: coisa, cão, amor, mesa, mulher, homem, etc.)

An Overview of Nouns

Nouns are words that refer to:

• people (a irmã)

• places (Portugal)

• things (o livro)

• abstract ideas (o amor)

When learning nouns, you need to know:

• spelling

• gender (masculine/feminine)

• number (singular/plural)

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Noun Gender

All Portuguese nouns are either masculine or feminine. Gender is grammatical and often does not correspond to biological sex.

👉 Determiners and adjectives must agree with the noun:

• uma coisa bonita

• o livro interessante

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Common Gender Patterns

1. People/animals with -o / -a

• o menino / a menina

• o gato / a gata

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2. Same form (gender marked by article)

(often -ista, -e)

• o/a estudante

• o/a artista

• o/a gerente

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3. Different forms

• o homem / a mulher

• o pai / a mãe

• o rei / a rainha

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4. Feminine endings

• -ção / -são → a nação, a decisão

• -dade / -tade / -tude → a verdade, a liberdade

• -a → usually feminine (a mesa)

Exceptions:

• o problema, o sistema, o mapa, o dia

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5. Masculine endings

• -o, -or, -ês → o livro, o professor, o português

Exceptions:

• a mão, a flor

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⚠️ Gender and Meaning

Some nouns change meaning with gender:

• o capital (money) vs a capital (city)

• o rádio (device) vs a rádio (station)

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Noun Number (Plural)

Regular formation:

• vowel → +s

  • livro → livros

• consonant → +es

  • papel → papéis

👉 Agreement:

• os alunos bons

• muitas casas grandes

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Irregular Plurals

• -ão → -ões / -ãos / -ães

  • coração → corações

  • mão → mãos

  • pão → pães

• words ending in -l:

  • animal → animais

  • papel → papéis

• words ending in -m:

  • homem → homens

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Compound nouns

Plural marking varies:

• guarda-chuva → guarda-chuvas

• fim de semana → fins de semana

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Proper names

Usually unchanged:

• os Silva

• os Costa

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🔑 Key point

To master Portuguese nouns:

• learn article + noun together

• track gender and plural patterns

• memorise common irregular forms