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Quick Grammar Reference
P o r t u g u e s e O n l i n e

>>Nouns > Articles

Articles are little words that modify the noun. They allow you to be more specific in the noun or group of nouns you are referencing in speech or writing.

One set of articles pinpoints a definite noun or group of nouns. These articles are called the definite articles. In Portuguese, there are four definite articles, each one always corresponding to the noun's number and gender. If a noun is singular and masculine, you must use the masculine singular definite article. The Nouns section of QuickGrammar also includes further information on how these articles interact with the noun.

The other set indicates one of a possible noun or, in the plural, a handful of examples of that noun. These are the indefinite articles. In Portuguese, there are also four indefinite articles, and they correspond to the noun's number and gender. If a noun is plural and feminine, you must use the feminine plural indefinite article. The Nouns section of QuickGrammar also includes further information on how these articles interact with the noun.

An easier way to understand the definite article is to look at the equivalent English word the. In the sentence look at the book, the word the gives you a definite book to look at.

Similarly, an easier way to understand the indefinite article is to look at the equivalent English word a(n). In the sentence he has a book, the word a suggests to you that this person has an undefined book. This sentence does not pinpoint the exact book, only a single example of a book.

Definite articles ("the")

Indefinite articles ("a" or "an")

The English word the can be used with singular and the plural nouns, for example: the dog or the dogs. There is no corresponding indefinite article in English with plural nouns, for example: a dog but dogs. You may wish to substitute the word "some" in translation: a dog and some dogs. For more information on this topic, please see the section on using articles with the noun.