Nouns: Declension — Brazilian Portuguese Grammar

In Portuguese, nouns have a grammatical gender (masculine or feminine) and change to show number (singular or plural). Unlike languages such as German or Russian, nouns do not change their form based on their role in a sentence (case declension). The gender and number of a noun affect the articles and adjectives that accompany it.

Grammatical Gender

Every noun is assigned a gender. While this sometimes corresponds to the biological sex of people or animals, it is often arbitrary for objects.

Masculine Nouns

Masculine nouns are typically preceded by the articles (the) or (a/an). Many, but not all, masculine nouns end in -o.

O livro está na mesa.
The book is on the table.
Eu comprei um carro novo.
I bought a new car.

Other common endings for masculine nouns include -l, -r, and -m.

O papel é branco.
The paper is white.
O amor é complicado.
Love is complicated.
Um homem entrou na loja.
A man entered the store.

Some nouns ending in -a are masculine, often those of Greek origin.

O problema é muito difícil.
The problem is very difficult.
Você tem o mapa do Brasil?
Do you have the map of Brazil?

Feminine Nouns

Feminine nouns are preceded by the articles (the) or (a/an). The most common ending for feminine nouns is -a.

A casa é grande.
The house is big.
Eu quero uma caneta azul.
I want a blue pen.

Other common feminine endings include -dade, -ção, and -gem.

A cidade do Rio de Janeiro é linda.
The city of Rio de Janeiro is beautiful.
A informação está correta.
The information is correct.
A viagem foi longa.
The trip was long.

Nouns with Variable Gender

Some nouns, particularly those referring to professions or people, can be both masculine and feminine. The gender is indicated by the article.

O estudante é inteligente.
The (male) student is smart.
A estudante é inteligente.
The (female) student is smart.
Ele é um bom artista.
He is a good artist.
Ela é uma boa artista.
She is a good artist.

Plural Formation

Forming the plural of a noun usually involves changing its ending.

Nouns ending in a vowel

The most common rule is to simply add an -s.

→ (cars)
→ (tables)
→ (pineapples)

Nouns ending in -r, -s, or -z

For these nouns, add -es to form the plural.

→ (women)
→ (lights)
→ (months)

An important exception is for words ending in -s where the stress is on the second-to-last syllable. These words do not change in the plural; only the article changes.

Eu preciso de um lápis.
I need a pencil.
Eu preciso de dois lápis.
I need two pencils.
O ônibus está atrasado.
The bus is late.
Os ônibus estão atrasados.
The buses are late.

Nouns ending in -m

Change the final -m to -ns.

→ (men)
→ (gardens)
→ (albums)

Nouns ending in -l

Drop the -l and add -is. This can sometimes require adding an accent.

→ (animals)
→ (papers)
→ (blues)
→ (fossils)

Nouns ending in -ão

This ending has three possible plural forms, which must be memorized.

1. -ões (most common)

O avião decolou.
The airplane took off.
Os aviões decolaram.
The airplanes took off.

2. -ães

Eu comi um pão.
I ate a bread roll.
Eu comi dois pães.
I ate two bread rolls.

3. -ãos

Minha mão está fria.
My hand is cold.
Minhas mãos estão frias.
My hands are cold.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Brazilian Portuguese course

432 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 2. A few of them, with the words “Nouns: Declension” is about in bold:

Esta é minha amiga, Anna. Ela é uma estudante.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
Tenho dois carros, duas bicicletas e três motocicletas.
I have two cars, two bicycles, and three motorbikes.
Lesson 33
Vou comprar uma banana e seis ovos.
I am buying one banana and six eggs.
Lesson 43

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