< Portuguese Grammar

how gender is used

Nouns are usually preceded by the (article) o, or a: o hotel, a casa

Names of people and places (proper nouns) are almost always preceded by an article: o Brasil, a Sandra.

Mine, yours, his & hers (possessive pronouns) are also gendered: seu trabalho, sua cozinha.

article M o barco (the boat)

article F a feira (the fair)

proper noun M o Rio de Janeiro (the Rio de Janeiro)

proper noun F a Marissa (the Marissa)

possessive pronoun M seu carro (your car)

possessive pronoun M meu carro (my car)

possessive pronoun F sua bicicleta (your bicycle)

possessive pronoun F minha bicicleta (my bicycle)

Past participles and adjectives take gender-endings to agree with their subject.

past-participle M O zoológico está aberto. (The zoo is open.)

past-participle F A janela está aberta. (The window is open.)

adjective M É um bom hotel. (It's a good hotel.)

adjective F É uma boa praia. (It's a good beach.)

adjective M Ela é muito bonita. (She's very pretty.)

adjective F Ele é muito bonito. (He's very handsome.)