How to use of the definite article
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
Imagem: http://www.anajure.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/artigo.jpg
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