A1 · 初級 チャプター 2

Nouns and Articles

5 トータルルール
53 例文
6 分
このチャプターのルール クイック練習

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the gendered foundation of Portuguese to build sentences with confidence and clarity.

  • Identify masculine and feminine noun genders.
  • Apply definite and indefinite articles correctly.
  • Transform singular nouns into their plural forms.
Unlock the gendered logic of Portuguese!

学べること

Ready to kickstart your Portuguese journey? This chapter is super exciting because we're going to lay the fundamental groundwork for building real sentences! You see, in Portuguese, nouns, much like people, have a gender – they're either masculine or feminine. It might sound a bit strange at first, but don't worry, you'll quickly get the hang of it and learn how to tell if a word takes an 'o' or an 'a'. After mastering noun genders, we'll move on to 'articles' (like 'the' and 'a/an' in English) which need to match the noun's gender and quantity. For instance, 'o' and 'a' are for single items, while 'os' and 'as' are for multiple. You'll also learn how to say 'a' or 'some' using words like 'um' and 'uma'. And then? Plurals! You'll learn how to change a word from singular to plural; sometimes you just add an 's', and other times you add an 'es' to specific words ending in R, S, or Z. It all connects, like pieces of a puzzle fitting together. Why is this crucial? Imagine yourself in a cafe in Lisbon, wanting to say 'a coffee' or 'the water'. If you get the gender wrong, your sentence might sound off. Or maybe you want to say 'I bought several books'. With these skills, you'll be able to speak much more naturally and avoid common beginner mistakes right from the start. By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to construct simple, grammatically correct Portuguese sentences, talk about one thing or many, and your confidence will soar. This is your Portuguese road, and it starts here – let's go!

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: correctly assign gender to common nouns and apply the matching article.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: convert singular nouns to plural using the appropriate suffix.

チャプターガイド

Overview

Welcome to your very first step into the fascinating world of Portuguese grammar A1! This chapter is your foundational launchpad, designed to make you feel confident about building real sentences right from the start. We're diving into Portuguese nouns and articles, which are absolutely essential for everyday communication.
Imagine trying to order a simple coffee or ask for directions – you'll need to know how to correctly refer to the coffee or a street. In Portuguese, nouns have a gender – they're either masculine or feminine. Don't let this intimidate you; it's a core concept that, once mastered, will unlock so much of the language. You'll quickly learn how to spot these genders and use them correctly.
After grasping noun gender, we'll introduce Portuguese articles, which are the words for 'the' and 'a/an/some'. Just like in English, these articles accompany nouns, but in Portuguese, they must agree in both gender and number. This means you'll learn to choose between o and a for singular items, and os and as for plural ones.
We'll also cover indefinite articles like um and uma, and their plural forms.
Finally, we'll tackle plural nouns, showing you how to transform a single item into multiple ones. Sometimes it's as easy as adding an 's', but we'll also explore special cases like words ending in R, S, or Z that require an 'es'. By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to confidently construct basic, grammatically sound Portuguese phrases, setting you up for success in your Portuguese language learning journey.
This is a crucial step towards speaking more naturally and avoiding common beginner mistakes. Let's begin!

How This Grammar Works

Let's break down the mechanics of Portuguese nouns and articles with clear examples. The first fundamental concept is Portuguese noun gender. Most nouns ending in -o are masculine, like o livro (the book) or o carro (the car).
Most nouns ending in -a are feminine, such as a mesa (the table) or a casa (the house). There are exceptions, of course, like o problema (the problem) which is masculine despite ending in -a, but we’ll cover those later. For now, focus on the general rule.
Next, we have definite articles, which are equivalent to 'the' in English. These must match the noun's gender and number. For masculine singular nouns, use o (e.g., o menino - the boy).
For feminine singular nouns, use a (e.g., a menina - the girl). When talking about multiple items, we use os for masculine plural nouns (e.g., os meninos - the boys) and as for feminine plural nouns (e.g., as meninas - the girls).
Then come the Portuguese indefinite articles: um, uma, uns, and umas. These translate to 'a/an' or 'some' in English. Um is for masculine singular nouns (e.g., um café - a coffee).
Uma is for feminine singular nouns (e.g., uma fruta - a fruit). For plurals, we use uns for masculine (e.g., uns carros - some cars) and umas for feminine (e.g., umas casas - some houses).
Finally, plural nouns are formed by adding an -s to most words (the simple 'S' rule), like gato (cat) becoming gatos (cats), or caneta (pen) becoming canetas (pens). However, for Portuguese plurals of words ending in -r, -s, or -z, you add -es. For example, a flor (the flower) becomes as flores (the flowers), o gás (the gas) becomes os gases (the gases), and a voz (the voice) becomes as vozes (the voices).
Master these rules, and you're well on your way to speaking correct A1 Portuguese.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1✗ Wrong: A livro (The book - incorrect gender)
✓ Correct: O livro (The book)
*Explanation:* Livro is a masculine noun, so it requires the masculine definite article o, not the feminine a. Always match the article's gender to the noun's gender.
  1. 1✗ Wrong: Os mesa (The table - incorrect number agreement)
✓ Correct: As mesas (The tables)
*Explanation:* Mesa is a feminine noun, so its plural form is mesas and requires the feminine plural definite article as. Both the article and the noun must agree in gender and number.
  1. 1✗ Wrong: Um canetas (A pens - incorrect number and article type)
✓ Correct: Umas canetas (Some pens)
*Explanation:* Canetas is a plural noun. If you mean some pens, you need the plural indefinite article umas. If you meant a pen, it would be uma caneta.

Real Conversations

A

A

Você tem o telefone dela? (Do you have her phone number?)
B

B

Não, eu só tenho o endereço de e-mail. (No, I only have the email address.)
A

A

Eu gostaria de um café, por favor. (I would like a coffee, please.)
B

B

Com leite ou preto? (With milk or black?)
A

A

Onde estão as chaves do carro? (Where are the car keys?)
B

B

Acho que estão em cima da mesa. (I think they are on the table.)

Quick FAQ

Q

How do I know if a Portuguese noun is masculine or feminine if it doesn't end in -o or -a?

While -o/-a are common indicators, many nouns don't follow this. For A1 Portuguese, it's best to learn the gender with the noun (e.g., a flor, o café). With practice, you'll develop a feel for it.

Q

Are there plural forms for indefinite articles like um and uma?

Yes! Um (a/an masculine singular) becomes uns (some masculine plural), and uma (a/an feminine singular) becomes umas (some feminine plural). This is key for talking about multiple unspecified items.

Q

What's the difference between using o and um when talking about Portuguese nouns?

O (or a, os, as) means the and refers to a specific item or items. Um (or uma, uns, umas) means a/an or some and refers to a non-specific item or items.

Cultural Context

In Portuguese-speaking countries, correctly using noun genders and articles is paramount for clear and natural communication. While a native speaker will likely understand you if you mix them up, consistently using the wrong gender or article can make your speech sound a bit off or even change the meaning. It's a deeply ingrained part of the language's structure, so mastering these Portuguese grammar A1 rules early on is a sign of respect for the language and significantly boosts your ability to connect with locals, whether in Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, or Luanda.

重要な例文 (4)

1

Eu quero um café, por favor.

コーヒーを1つお願いします。

男性名詞と女性名詞：ポルトガル語の名詞の性 (o/a)
2

A foto no Instagram está ótima!

インスタの写真は最高だね！

男性名詞と女性名詞：ポルトガル語の名詞の性 (o/a)
3

O café está quente.

コーヒーは熱いです。

定冠詞 (o, a, os, as)
4

A pizza chegou!

ピザが届きました！

定冠詞 (o, a, os, as)

ヒントとコツ (4)

⚠️

「MA」のルールに注意！

最後が 'a' でも、problema や sistema は男性名詞なんです。困ったときはこう言いましょう：
Eu tenho um problema agora.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 男性名詞と女性名詞：ポルトガル語の名詞の性 (o/a)
💡

「MA」の罠に注意！

programa や problema は 'a' で終わるけど実は男性名詞なんです。
O programa é muito legal.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 定冠詞 (o, a, os, as)
⚠️

「a」で終わる言葉のワナ

最後が -a だからといって、全部が女性名詞ではありません。
Eu tenho um problema agora.
のように、男性名詞として扱う単語に注意しましょう。
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: ポルトガル語の不定冠詞：a, an, some (um, uma)
🎯

冠詞もセットで変えよう

一番多い間違いは O livros と言ってしまうこと。必ず Os livros とセットで複数にします。 Os と名詞は親友なので、いつも一緒に動きます。
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 名詞の複数形：基本の「S」ルール

重要な語彙 (6)

o café the coffee a mesa the table um livro a book uma caneta a pen o mar the sea o rapaz the boy

Real-World Preview

coffee

Ordering at a Cafe

Review Summary

  • O (masc) / A (fem)
  • Noun + s

よくある間違い

Mesa ends in 'a', so it is feminine and requires the feminine article 'a'.

Wrong: O mesa
正解: A mesa

The indefinite article must match the noun gender.

Wrong: Um caneta
正解: Uma caneta

Words ending in Z require -es for the plural, not just -s.

Wrong: O rapazs
正解: Os rapazes

Next Steps

You've laid a solid foundation! Keep practicing, and you'll be speaking Portuguese fluently in no time.

Label items in your house with sticky notes

Continue to: Numbers, Dates, and Time

クイック練習 (10)

性別の間違いを直してね。

A problema é muito difícil.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: O problema é muito difícil.
problema は 'a' で終わりますが、ギリシャ語由来の男性名詞なので 'O' です。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 定冠詞 (o, a, os, as)

複数形の形がすべて正しい文はどれかな？

正しい文を選んでね：

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: As casas são bonitas.
冠詞 (As)、名詞 (casas)、形容詞 (bonitas) はすべて複数を一致させる必要があるんだ。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 名詞の複数形：基本の「S」ルール

正しい組み合わせの文を選んでね。

次の中から選んでください：

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Os livros são muito novos.
Livros は男性複数形なので、冠詞も 'Os' になります。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 定冠詞 (o, a, os, as)

注文の間違いを見つけてください。

Find and fix the mistake:

Eu quero um cerveja gelada.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eu quero uma cerveja gelada.
'Cerveja' は女性名詞なので、冠詞は 'um' ではなく 'uma' にする必要があります。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 男性名詞と女性名詞：ポルトガル語の名詞の性 (o/a)

文法的に正しい文章を選んでください。

正しい選択肢を選んでください：

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ela tem umas ideias ótimas.
'Ideias' は女性名詞の複数形なので、'umas' を使うのが正解です。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: ポルトガル語の不定冠詞：a, an, some (um, uma)

空欄に正しい不定冠詞を入れてください。

Eu quero comprar ___ computador novo.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: um
'Computador' は男性名詞の単数形なので、'um' が正解です。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: ポルトガル語の不定冠詞：a, an, some (um, uma)

間違いを見つけて直してね！

Find and fix the mistake:

Os menino jogam bola.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Os meninos jogam bola.
冠詞が 'Os' なので、名詞の 'menino' も 'meninos' にして合わせよう。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 名詞の複数形：基本の「S」ルール

名詞に合う正しい冠詞を選んでね。

___ carro é azul hoje.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: O
Carro は男性単数名詞なので 'O' を使います。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 定冠詞 (o, a, os, as)

正しい定冠詞 (o/a) を入れてください。

___ mesa está na cozinha.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
'Mesa'（テーブル）は '-a' で終わる女性名詞なので、冠詞は 'a' になります。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: 男性名詞と女性名詞：ポルトガル語の名詞の性 (o/a)

文章の間違いを直してください。

Find and fix the mistake:

Eu vi uma gato na rua.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eu vi um gato na rua.
'Gato' は男性名詞なので、'uma' ではなく 'um' を使う必要があります。

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: ポルトガル語の不定冠詞：a, an, some (um, uma)

Score: /10

よくある質問 (6)

ラテン語から受け継いだルールなんです。文の構造をはっきりさせる役割があります。A casa é branca. のように言葉を繋げやすくします。
残念ながら決まったルールがないので、1つずつ覚えます。例えば：O leite é bom.（牛乳は男性）ですが、A noite é longa.（夜は女性）です。
ラテン語由来のルールなんです！
O carro é muito rápido.
のように、言葉のつながりを分かりやすくしてくれます。
語尾で予想しましょう！ 'o' で終われば男性 ('o')、 'a' なら女性 ('a') で大抵当たります。
はい、um は数字の「1」と冠詞の「1つの」の両方を兼ねています。 Quero um café と言えば文脈で判断されます。
日常会話では uns が圧倒的に使われます。 alguns は少しフォーマルな響きになります。
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