Adjective agreement & position

What it is

An adjective describes a noun, and in Portuguese it agrees with that noun in gender and number: o carro novo (the new car), a casa nova, os carros novos, as casas novas. It normally comes after the noun, the opposite of English: um carro vermelho, a red car.

How to form it

• Adjectives in -o have four forms. Most others have one form for both genders and only add the plural: um homem feliz, uma mulher feliz, pessoas felizes.
• The plural follows the noun rules you already know: azul → azuis, fácil → fáceis, jovem → jovens, and simples stays simples.
• Nationalities in -ês and -ol have a feminine: inglês → inglesa, espanhol → espanhola. Notice that inglês has an accent and inglesa doesn’t.
• Two small irregulars: bom → boa (good) and mau → má (bad). Comparatives don’t change for gender: a melhor amiga, a casa maior.
• One adjective for a mixed group takes the masculine plural: O pai e a mãe são altos.
• Agreement follows the noun, not the person: pessoa and criança are always feminine, so O Rafael é uma pessoa simpática.

When to use it

• O ônibus vermelho vai para o centro.The red bus goes to the city centre.colour: after
• Ela é uma cantora brasileira.She’s a Brazilian singer.nationality: after
• A gente mora numa casa pequena.We live in a small house.description: after
• Essa é uma ótima ideia!That’s a great idea!praise: often before
• Boa viagem!Have a good trip!fixed phrase

After the noun is the neutral place. Colours, nationalities, shapes and most descriptive adjectives always go there. A few short adjectives that judge or praise (bom, ótimo, lindo, grande, belo) often go before the noun, which sounds warmer or more emphatic: um lindo dia, uma boa ideia. Fixed phrases keep them in front: bom dia, boa noite, boa sorte.

A handful of adjectives change meaning with their position:

Contrasts and traps

• um vermelho carro ✗ → um carro vermelho.
• uma bom ideia ✗ → uma boa ideia; os olhos azul ✗ → os olhos azuis.
• bom (good) is an adjective and agrees; bem (well) is an adverb and never changes: a comida é boa, ela cozinha bem.
• Colour words that are also nouns, like rosa (rose) and laranja (orange), often stay the same: camisetas rosa. Usage varies, and you will also see camisetas rosas.

If you speak Spanish

Agreement works as in Spanish, but four things trip you up. Portuguese has no muy: muito bonito. Grande never shortens: um grande dia, not gran. The adjective follows the Portuguese gender of the noun: o leite frio, a viagem longa, a ponte antiga. And some adjectives are false friends: largo means wide (long is longo or comprido), esquisito means weird, roxo means purple (red is vermelho) and legal means cool or nice. Mind the plurals too: felizes, azuis, jovens, not felices, azules, jóvenes.