Adjectives are used to describe nouns. They must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify (e.g.: as flores bonitas). Most adjectives come after the noun.
To use adjectives correctly, you need to know: a) common adjectives b) how to form masculine, feminine and plural forms c) how agreement works d) where to place the adjective
Many adjectives vary according to gender:
alto / alta
rápido / rápida
bonito / bonita
Adjectives ending in a consonant often add -a for feminine:
trabalhador / trabalhadora
inglês / inglesa
Some adjectives have the same form:
pobre, fácil, jovem, interessante
Adjectives ending in -ista are invariable:
otimista, realista
vowel → add -s:
alto → altos
consonant → add -es:
fácil → fáceis
final -z → -c:
feliz → felizes
Colour adjectives agree like other adjectives:
vestidos azuis
blusas brancas
Exceptions:
colour from noun → invariable:
guardanapos laranja
compound colours → often invariable:
camisas azul-claro
Adjectives agree with the noun in:
gender
number
a casa pequena
as casas pequenas
Agreement holds even at a distance:
A pessoa que viaja comigo é portuguesa.
Most adjectives follow the noun:
um livro interessante
um exame difícil
uma camisa branca
Some may appear before the noun:
um grande dia
um bom amigo
👉 Before the noun:
often more subjective/emotional 👉 After the noun:
more descriptive/objective
Some adjectives change meaning depending on position:
grande / grande
um edifício grande = physically big
um grande edifício = impressive
pobre
um homem pobre = no money
um pobre homem = unfortunate
falso
documento falso = fake
falsa identidade = not genuine
Agreement = gender + number
Default position = after the noun
Before noun = often subjective/emphatic
Some adjectives change meaning with position
Q: Why is it uma flor bonita and NOT uma flor bonito? Adjectives must agree in gender with the noun:
flor (feminine) → bonita
not bonito
Q: Why is it uma grande ideia and NOT uma gran ideia? In Portuguese, grande does not shorten before the noun:
uma grande ideia
not gran (this is Spanish)
👉 The form stays the same for masculine and feminine.
Q: Why is it um livro interessante and NOT um interessante livro? Most adjectives come after the noun in Portuguese:
👉 Placing the adjective before the noun is possible, but:
more formal or expressive
less neutral
Q: Why is it os carros brancos and NOT os carros branco? Adjectives must agree in number:
carros (plural) → brancos
not branco
👉 Determiner + noun + adjective must all match.
Q: Why is it um homem oportunista and NOT um homem oportunisto? Adjectives ending in -ista:
👉 have the same form for masculine and feminine
um homem oportunista
uma mulher oportunista
No Spanish-style shortening (gran)
-ista adjectives are invariable for gender
Write the correct form of the adjective in italics, ensuring that it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies:
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Provide the masculine form of the following adjectives:
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