2Module 2

Gender & Articles

Género e Artigos

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Key Concept

Portuguese is a gendered language. Almost every noun and adjective must be tagged as Masculine or Feminine. Articles act as 'flags' to indicate gender, and adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.
粵

Cantonese Speaker Tip

最大挑戰！ 廣東話完全無「陰陽性」。 「枱」就係「枱」，但葡萄牙文 a mesa（枱）係陰性，o livro（書）係陽性。

廣東話用量詞（一張枱、一本書），葡文用冠詞：o / a（這個）、um / uma（一個）。 記住：以 -o 結尾通常係陽性，-a 結尾通常係陰性！

Before a noun (like a profession or nationality), you place an article to indicate gender. Adjectives must 'rhyme' with the gender of the person they describe. There are three main rules for changing masculine forms to feminine.

Key Phrase — Try saying it!

Ele é português. Ela é portuguesa.

Rule A: The Articles (Gender Flags)

the (masculine singular)
the (feminine singular)
the (masculine plural)
the (feminine plural)

Rule B: Adjective Endings (Gender Agreement)

1
Standard Rule: -o → -a

Words ending in -o (masculine) change to -a (feminine). This is the most common pattern for professions and nationalities.

Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
2
The '-ês' Rule: -ês → -esa

Words ending in -ês (masculine) add -a and lose the accent to become -esa (feminine). Common with nationalities.

Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
3
Invariant Exception: -ista / -e / -a

Words ending in -ista, -e, or -a do not change form. You only change the article (o → a) to indicate gender.

Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.
Masc.
→
Fem.

Examples

I am Portuguese. (male)
She is Portuguese.
He is the doctor.
She is the doctor.
He is a journalist.
She is a journalist.
What is your profession?
I am a student.
He is Spanish.
She is Spanish.
I am French. (male)
I am French. (female)
He is Italian.
She is Italian.
They are Russian. (male/mixed)
She is Russian.
He is Japanese.
She is Japanese.
We are American. (male/mixed)
They are American. (female)
He is the engineer.
She is the engineer.
He is a nurse.
She is a nurse.
They are doctors.
We are students.
Where are you from, sir?
I am from Portugal.
We are Portuguese. (female)
What do you do, sir?
Género e Artigos — Summary of Gender & ArticlesDefinite Articles (2 × 2)o — masc. singularos — masc. plurala — fem. singularas — fem. pluralRule 1: -o → -a (Standard)médico → médicaprofessor → professoraChange the masculine -o ending to -a for feminine; add -a if the word ends in a consonant.Rule 2: -ês → -esaPortuguês → PortuguesaChinês → ChinesaReplace the -ês ending with -esa for feminine.Rule 3: Invariant (-ista / -e / -a)jornalista stays the same — only the article changes: o jornalista / a jornalistaWords ending in -ista, -e, or -a are gender-invariant; gender is shown by the article.Tip: When you see a new noun, learn it with its article — o livro, a mesa — to memorize the gender!
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