Adjectives are words that express a certain quality about a noun. Like determinants, they vary in number and gender, according to the noun they're describing. The feminine is formed the same way as in nouns and so is the plural.
Adjectives come after the noun. You can also place them before, but that alters the meaning slightly, so forget about it for now.
In English, each adjective has three forms (for example: 'big', 'bigger' and 'biggest'). In Portuguese, something similar happens for when you want to make comparisons or emphasise a quality.
Graus Comparativos (Comparitive Degrees)
Grau Comparativo de Superioridade (Comparative Degree of Superiority): used when you want to say that something is more (adjective) than something else. For example, 'I am taller than you'.
1. Mais + (adjective) + que
2. Mais + (adjective) + do que
Grau Comparativo de Igualdade (Comparative Degree of Equality): used when you want to say that something is just as (adjective) as something else. For example, 'I am as tall as you'.
1. Tão + (adjective) + quanto
2. Tão + (adjective) + como
Grau Comparativo de Inferioridade (Comparative Degree of Inferiority): used when you want to say that something is less (adjective) than something else. For example, 'I am less tall than you'.
1. Menos + (adjective) + que
2. Menos + (adjective) + do que
In each case, both forms are perfectly equivalent. Just pick whichever you like best. smile
Example 1: A minha tia é mais velha que o Pedro. (My aunt is older than Pedro.)
Example 2: A Rita e o João são tão inteligentes quanto a Sofia. (Rita and João are as smart as Sofia.)
Example 3: O Luís é menos ágil do que a tua prima. (Luís is less agile than your cousin.)
You should recognise all of the words in these sentences from previous lessons with the exception of 'e' (and), 'é' (is) and 'são' (are). There will be a lesson on the verb 'to be' soon.
Graus Superlativos (Superlative Degrees)
Grau Superlativo Relativo de Superioridade (Relative Superlative Degree of Superiority): used when you want to say that something is the most (adjective) of all. For example, 'I am the tallest'.
O mais + (adjective) *
Grau Superlativo Relativo de Inferioridade (Relative Superlative Degree of Inferiority): used when you want to say that something is the least (adjective) of all. For example, 'I am the least tall'.
O menos + (adjective) *
* The 'O' in both of these cases is an article and therefore should vary in number and gender according to each case. 'Mais' (more, most) and 'menos' (less, least) always remain the same.
Example 1: A Vanessa é a mais inteligente. (Vanessa is the smartest.)
Example 2: O Jorge é o mais novo. (Jorge is the youngest.)
Example 3: A Sofia é a menos alta. (Sofia is the least tall.)
Example 4: Os teus irmãos são os menos ágeis. (Your brothers/siblings are the least agile.)
Grau Superlativo Absoluto a**lítico (Analytical Absolute Superlative Degree): used when you want to say that something is very (adjective). For example, 'I am very tall'.
Muito + (adjective)
Example 1: Esta casa é muito antiga. (This house is very old.)
Example 2: Esse quarto é muito grande. (That room is very big.)
Grau Superlativo Absoluto Sintético (Syntetic Absolute Superlative Degree): used when you want to say that something is very (adjective). It's more or less equivalent to the previous, but using this form adds a bit more emphasis.
Replace the last vowel of the adjective with, or append, -íssimo
Two notes:
1. Since this ending becomes a part of the adjective, -íssimo varies in number and gender too (-íssimo, -íssima, -íssimos, -íssimas).
2. If the last consonant before -íssimo is a 'C', it should be replaced with 'QU'. The reason for this will become obvious when we study general pronunciation.
Example 1: A sala é lindíssima. (The room is very beautiful.)
Example 2: Os candeeiros são branquíssimos. (The lamps are very white.)
There are exceptions to all of these rules and I don't recommend that you use the -íssimo form of an adjective unless you already know what it looks like, as that is the most irregular of all. Here are a few common adjectives to watch out for:
Bom (good) - mais bom que melhor que - o mais bom o melhor - bonsíssimo óptimo
Mau (bad) - menos mau que pior que - o menos mau o pior - mausíssimo péssimo
Grande (big) - mais grande que maior que - o mais grande o maior
Pequeno (small) - menos pequeno que menor que - o menos pequeno o menor
Vocabulário (Vocabulary)
Bom (m), boa (f) - good
Mau (m), má (f) - bad
Grande (m and f) - big
Pequeno (m) - small
Novo (m) - new, young
Velho (m) - old
Alto (m) - tall
Baixo (m) - short
Magro (m) - thin
Gordo (m) - fat
Inteligente (m and f) - smart
Vermelho (m) - red
Amarelo (m) - yellow
Verde (m and f) - green
Azul (m and f) - blue
Branco (m) - white
Preto (m) - black
Cinzento (m) - grey
Cor-de-laranja, laranja (m and f) - orange
Cor-de-rosa, rosa (m and f) - pink
Hear what these words sound like!Exercícios (Exercises)
1. Write ten 'determinant + noun + adjective' combinations ('e' means 'and' if you wish to use it).
2. Put the adjectives in those ten combinations in each of the different degrees (use the verb 'to be' as presented in the examples: is = é, are = são).
3. Listen to the recording and try to write the words without looking at the lesson.
4. Practice reading your sentences.
Feel free to post your answers if you want me to correct them. Also, if you have any other questions, ask away!
The next lesson will be about the verb to be and simple sentence structure. I won't have time to write it until the end of the month, though, so expect it by the first week of July. Meanwhile, look up vocabulary and practice! These first three lessons may not look like much, but one of the first things to give away whether someone is a native speaker or not (besides the accent, which is hard to master) is the ability to maintain gender and number accordance between the words in a sentence.
Good luck! wink
