How to use of the definite article

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DEFINITE ARTICLE
The definite article, which corresponds to ‘the’ in English, is used to designate a specific noun, with which it agrees in gender and number.
Singular
O (mas.)
O chão
The floor
A (fem.)
A porta
The door
Plural
Os (mas.)
Os carros
The cars
As (fem.)
As janelas
The windows

Ontem encontrei o Francisco, que lia o livro de francês. Yesterday I met Francisco, who was reading his French book.

USE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

With first names: As a rule first names in Portuguese are preceded by a definite article
O João, a Joana.

With titles:
O senhor/a senhora/a menina quer uma chávena de chá? Would you like a cup of tea?
A Sra. D.Laura Costa cozinha muito bem. Mrs Costa cooks very well.
A encomenda veio para o Sr. Dr. Gomes. The parcel is for Dr/Mr Gomes.
O Sr. Eng.° Costa não está. Quer deixar recado? Mr Costa is not here. Would you like to leave a message?
With names of continents, countries, islands and rivers:
a Europa Europe
a Madeira Madeira
o Brasil Brazil
o Tamisa the Thames

But do not use with Portugal, Angola,  Cabo Verde, Moçambique

With days of the week:
A terça-feira é dia feriado. Tuesday is a bank holiday.

Before possessive adjectives:
A minha amiga.  My friend
o nosso carro. Our car

OMISSION OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
When referring to well-known or outstanding figures (except when a nuance of familiarity or disparagement is implied or when a reference to his/her work is made):
Gago Coutinho foi um aeronauta português. Gago Coutinho was a Portuguese aeronaut.
But
O Gulbenkian tinha rios de dinheiro. That Gulbenkian was rolling in it.
(a very free translation which conveys the flavour of the original)
When a title is used as a vocative:
Sente-se melhor agora, Sr. Gomes? Are you feeling better now, Mr Gomes?

When a title includes a possessive pronoun:
Sua Majestade, o Rei de Espanha. His Majesty the King of Spain
Sua Excelência, o Presidente da República. His Excellency the President of the Republic

Usually before names of cities and towns:
Lisboa é a capital de Portugal. Lisbon is the capital of Portugal.
Londres é a capital de Inglaterra. London is the capital of England.

But
O Porto
O Rio de Janeiro
Note: If the name of the city / town / village coincide with a common name (eg: Porto - name of a city- and port- common name), takesthe definite article the common name ("Porto" and "the port "), which implies the occurrence of the definite article expressions with prepositionsde, em a [contractions(do= de + o; no= em + o; ao=a + o) ].
O Porto é uma cidade bonita. Porto is a beautiful city.

After the verbs estudar, falar and tocar:
Eu estudo química. I study chemistry.
Eu falo espanhol. I speak Spanish.
Eu toco piano. I play the piano.

When making a generalization:
Eu adoro flores. I love flowers.

CONTRACTION OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
The  definite  article  can  be  contracted  with  the  prepositions  de,  em,  a  and por as follows.
Preposition de+article, meaning ‘in’, ‘’s’, ’, ‘of’, ‘from’:
de+o=do
O melhor do mundo! The best in the world!

de+a=da
O livro da Manuela. Manuela’s book

de+os=dos
O teor dos discursos… The content of the speeches…

de+as=das
 Ela é das Ilhas Gregas. She is from the Greek Islands.

Preposition em+article, meaning ‘on’, ‘at’, ‘about’, ‘of’, ‘in’, ‘into’:
em+o=no
O saco está no banco. The bag is on the bench.

em+a=na
Eu ando na universidade. I am at university.

em+os=nos
Ele pensa sempre nos filhos. He always thinks of/about his children.

em+as=nas
 Já viste nas gavetas? Have you checked in the drawers?

Preposition a+article, meaning ‘on’, ‘to’, ‘at’:
a+o=ao
 Ele está ao telefone. He is on the phone.

a+a=à
A minha avó vai à missa todos os domingos. My grandmother goes to mass every Sunday.

a+os=aos
 Já enviámos as encomendas aos clientes. We have already sent the parcels to our clients.

a+as=às
O jantar de gala é às nove da noite. The gala dinner is at 9 p.m.

Preposition por+article, meaning ‘along’, ‘by’, ‘through’, ‘for’:
por+o=pelo
Siga pelo corredor da direita. Go along the corridor on the right.

por+a=pela
As informações foram dadas pela testemunha. The information was provided by the witness.

por+os=pelos
Nós corremos pelos campos. We ran through the fields.

por+as=pelas
Ela faz tudo pelas filhas. She does everything for her daughters.


Imagem: http://www.anajure.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/artigo.jpg

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