Nouns

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Gender
Plural of Nouns
Degree of Nouns

Gender

Portuguese nouns are either masculine or feminine. Most of the time you can identify a noun's gender based on its ending.

How to Identify Masculine Nouns

Ordinarily nouns with the following endings are masculine:

Noun Endings (m.)	Example	Translation
-o	o livro	the book
-consonant	um lápis	a pencil
-i	o lei	the law
-u	um chapéu	a hat
-ema	o problema	the problem
-grama	um telegrama	a telegram

Notes:

Some common exceptions:
   o mapa - map
   o dia - day
   o planeta - planet
   o ímã - magnet
These are all masculine nouns.

How to Identify Feminine Nouns

Nouns with the following endings are usually feminine:

Noun Endings (f.)	Example	Translation
-a	a comida	the food
-ã	uma maçã	an apple
-ação	a criação	the creation
-agem	uma viagem	a trip
-idade	a cidade	the city
-idão	gratidão	gratitude

Notes:

Some common exceptions:
   a voz - voice
   a cor - color
   a mão - hand
   a flor - flower
These are all feminine nouns.

Nouns with both Masculine and Feminine Forms

Many nouns will fit into two categories, and can have specific masculine or feminine forms. These usually designate people or professions. There are rules to use when changing a masculine noun into the feminine form:

Noun Ending (m.)	Alteration (f.)	Example
-o	change -o to -a	o jardineiro → a jardineira
-r or -s	add -a	o professor → a professora
-ão	change -ão to -ã or -oa	o irmão → a irmã

Nouns with a Single Form

Some nouns do not change endings and gender is identified only by the articles.

Noun Ending	Example	Translation
-ante	o/a estudante	the student
-ente	o/a paciente	the patient
-ista	o/a turista	the tourist

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Plural of Nouns

Forming the Plural

There are a few rules that can be followed when forming the plural of nouns.

Nouns ending with:

• -vowels add -s.
  a irmã → as irmãs
• -s add -es if the stress falls on the final syllable.
  o mês → os meses
• -s do not change if the stress does NOT fall on the final syllable.
  o lápis → os lápis
• -r, or -z add -es.
  a cor → as cores
• -m change the -m to -ns.
  o homem → os homens
• -al, -el, -ol, -ul change the -l to -is.
  o animal → os animais
• -il change the -l to -s, or change the -il to -eis depending on the stressed syllable.
  o barril → os barris; o fóssil → os fósseis
• -ão form the plural by either adding -s, changing -o to -es, or changing -ão to ões.
  o irmão → os irmãos; o pão → os pães; o limão → os limões

Notes:

The masculine plural of certain nouns is used to collectively to include both genders.
   os pais - the parents
   os irmãos - the brothers and sisters
   os professores - the (m & f) professors

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Degree of Nouns

Diminutives

Diminutives are common in spoken Portuguese. They are added to the ends of nouns to connote something small or precious.
Some of the most common:

• -inho, -inha
• -ito, -ito
• -ico
• -ola
• -acho
• -eta, -ete
• -ilho, -ilha
• -ulo

primo - cousin → priminho - little cousin
casa - house → casita - small house
pouco - few → pouqinho - very few

Augmentatives

Augmentatives turn the noun into something greater or grand.
Some of the most common:

• -aço, -aça
• -zarrão
• -ão, -ona
• -ola
• -alha
• -alhão
• -anhão
• -anha

mulher - woman → mulherona - a large woman
cão - dog → canzarrão - a large dog
gol - goal (football) → golaço - great goal

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