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Portuguese grammar

CEFR A1-A2

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Portuguese Definite Article Uses: When Portuguese Says the

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

Portuguese uses the definite article in places where English has no article at all. This page lists those places, each with an example. The forms themselves, and where and disappear, are in Portuguese articles.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Article or no article?

  1. Fruit is expensive this year.

  2. I live in Portugal.

  3. I live in Brazil.

The whole list on one screen

masculinefemininepluralWhat do the colours mean?
UsePortugueseEnglish
general statement .Fruit is expensive.
price per unit quilo.Five a kilo.
date the fifth of May
sport as a whole .Football is popular.
most countries , Brazil, France
first names Ana .Ana has arrived.
body parts .I wash my hands.

The article still agrees with its noun in every row: , quilo, .

General statements: a fruta está cara

When English talks about a whole category, it drops the article. Portuguese keeps it:

  • . - Fruit is expensive this year.
  • . - Books are expensive.
  • . - Life is beautiful.

After a verb like , the bare noun names a substance you like or not. Add a description and you are talking about a defined category, so the article returns:

  • . - I like coffee.
  • . - I like Brazilian coffee.

Prices, rates and dates

English uses a for a price per unit. Portuguese uses its definite article:

  • quilo. - Five a kilo.
  • dúzia. - Two euros a dozen. (EP prices are in euros)

Speed and time rates are different: Brazil says , and says ( + ) or :

VarietyPortugueseEnglish
Brazilian a hundred kilometres an hour
EP a hundred kilometres an hour

Note the spelling too: Brazil writes with a circumflex, with an acute.

A date with usually takes the article:

  • . - The fifth of May is my birthday.
  • . - I arrive on the fifth.

The exception is saying what today is: ., today is the fifth, goes bare.

Sports, subjects and activities

A sport or a school subject talked about as a whole takes the article. The same word as the object of or goes bare, because it is just the thing you do:

JobPortugueseEnglish
the whole .Football is popular in Brazil.
the activity .I play football on Saturdays.
the whole .History is interesting.
the activity .I study history.

Countries and cities

Most countries take the article, and it fuses with and :

  • . - I live in Brazil.
  • . - She is from France.

is the one to remember: it takes no article.

  • . - I live in .
  • . - He is from .

Most cities take none either: ., I live in Lisbon. A few, like and , carry the article: ., I live in .

First names: a Ana, o Pedro

In , a first name of someone you know takes the article as a matter of course. Much of Brazil does the same in speech, though the North-East often leaves it out:

  • Ana . - Ana has arrived.
  • Pedro . - Pedro lives in .

News reports and official documents usually drop it and give the full name: Ana Silva ., Ana Silva has arrived.

Body parts: the article does the possessive's job

With body parts and clothes, Portuguese usually puts the article where English puts my or his. The subject already says whose they are:

  • . - I wash my hands.
  • . - He opened his eyes.

Portuguese possessives covers when the possessive is needed after all.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
.a general statement keeps the article
um quilo quilo.a price per unit takes
. takes the article
no . takes none
o .the activity after goes bare

What to do next

These uses sit on the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Portuguese specification at Foundation and Higher tier.

  1. Learn each country with its article: , , plain .
  2. Turn three English generalisations into Portuguese with or .
  3. Then practise in the Portuguese course.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/5

Article or no article?

  1. Fruit is expensive this year.

  2. I live in Portugal.

  3. I live in Brazil.

  4. I play football on Saturdays.

  5. Football is very popular in Brazil.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

Matching

0/4

Match each sentence to its English.

Translation drill

0/3

Translate into English. Watch the articles English drops.

  1. A carne está cara este ano.

  2. Ele abriu os olhos.

  3. O Pedro mora no Porto.

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Frequently asked questions

Why does Portuguese say a ?
Because a noun used in a general sense still takes its article in Portuguese. English says fruit is expensive with no article; Portuguese says . The same goes for plurals: , books are expensive.
How do you say five euros a kilo in Portuguese?
With the definite article where English uses a: quilo, or in Brazil quilo. Speed works differently: Brazil says ( ), and says or .
Do you use the article before names in Portuguese?
In , yes, with first names of people you know: Ana , Ana has arrived. In Brazil it depends on the region: common in the South and South-East, often left out in the North-East. News and official writing usually drop it and use the full name.
Is it o or ?
: most countries take the article, so , I live in Brazil, and , France. A few do not, and is the one to remember: , never .
Do you say as or as ?
, I wash my hands. With body parts and clothes, Portuguese usually uses the article where English uses a possessive, because the subject already says whose hands they are.