Adjective gender and number agreement

In brief

In Brazilian Portuguese, an adjective usually matches the noun it describes in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). English adjectives do not change this way: ‘new’ stays ‘new’, but novo changes to nova, novos, or novas. Check the noun when choosing the adjective form.

Form

For adjectives ending in -o: novo (masculine singular), nova (feminine singular), novos (masculine plural), novas (feminine plural). Adjectives ending in -e, such as grande, usually have the same form for both genders; add -s for the plural: grandes.

Usage

• Use the feminine form with a feminine noun: uma bolsa nova.
• Use a plural adjective with a plural noun: livros novos, bolsas novas.
• Match the adjective even when it follows é or são: a bolsa é nova; as bolsas são novas.

Examples

• O livro é novo. — The book is new.
• A bolsa é nova. — The bag is new.
• Os livros são novos. — The books are new.
• As bolsas são novas. — The bags are new.

Common mistake

❌ A bolsa é novo.

✅ A bolsa é nova.

English ‘new’ never changes, but Portuguese uses feminine nova to match bolsa.

Remember

Look at the noun first: its gender and number guide the adjective ending.