Adjective and Participle Agreement Rules
In Portuguese, adjectives and past participles used as adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Understanding the patterns of agreement is fundamental.
PortuStories Editorial
European Portuguese Grammar Guide
Adjectives in Portuguese change form to agree with the noun in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
| Masc sing | Fem sing | Masc pl | Fem pl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bonito | bonito | bonita | bonitos | bonitas |
| feliz | feliz | feliz | felizes | felizes |
| trabalhador | trabalhador | trabalhadora | trabalhadores | trabalhadoras |
| azul | azul | azul | azuis | azuis |
Os livros são interessantes. As histórias são interessantes.
The books are interesting. The stories are interesting.
Agreement across gender and number.
Past participles used as adjectives (in passive constructions or with estar) also agree: A porta está aberta. Os livros estão abertos.
A janela está fechada. As janelas estão fechadas.
The window is closed. The windows are closed.
Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant are often invariable for gender (feliz, azul, inteligente) but still change for number. Adjectives of nationality ending in a consonant add -a for feminine: português / portuguesa.
From a PortuStories Story
As ruas antigas são muito bonitas e os edifícios históricos estão bem conservados.
The old streets are very beautiful and the historic buildings are well preserved.