A0 · Ponto Zero Capítulo 2

Describing People & Things

6 Regras totais
70 exemplos
5 min
Regras neste capítulo Prática rápida

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock the power to describe the world and the people around you with confidence.

  • Identify common objects using essential nouns.
  • Distinguish between he, she, and they to describe others.
  • Apply colors and simple adjectives to paint a picture with words.
Describe your world, one word at a time!

O que você vai aprender

Hello there! Get ready to start talking about people, like he or she, and describe things using new words like big or red. Soon, you'll be able to tell us about your friends and the colorful world around you!

Learning Objectives

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

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Use nouns and adjectives to describe objects and people in simple sentences.

Guia do capítulo

Overview

Understanding how to talk about the people and objects around you is one of the most exciting first steps in learning English! This guide will empower you to move beyond simple greetings and start painting a picture of your world, whether you're pointing out a big red car or introducing a friend. Mastering these basic concepts is crucial for any beginner.
This chapter lays the groundwork for all future descriptions, helping you build sentences that are both clear and meaningful. You'll learn to identify common items, refer to people by their gender or as a group, and add simple yet powerful details like size and color. This foundational knowledge is essential for English describing people & things for beginners and will quickly boost your confidence as you learn English A0 grammar.
By the end of this guide, you'll have the tools to tell someone about your pen or their book, and even describe a good teacher.
How This Grammar Works
At the heart of describing are nouns, words for people, places, or things. Think of classroom & survival nouns like pen, book, teacher, student, food, water, toilet. These are your first building blocks.
To talk about one of these things, you often use an article: a or an. You use an before words that start with a vowel *sound* (A, E, I, O, U), like an apple or an elephant. You use a before words that start with a consonant *sound*, like a book or a table.
When you have more than one, you usually just add an -s to the end: one pen, two pens; one book, two books. This is called forming simple plurals.
When you're talking about people, we use special words called pronouns. For a male person, use he. For a female person, use she.
If you're talking about more than one person, or you don't know their gender, or prefer not to specify, use they. For example,
This is John. He is a student.
or "This is Maria.
She is a teacher. or These are my friends. They are good."
Now, let's add some color and detail! Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Colors like red, blue, green, yellow are easy adjectives.
In English, adjectives almost always come *before* the noun they describe. For example, not car red but
red car.
The color word never changes, no matter if there's one car or many:
a red car,
two red cars.
Other first adjectives like big, small, good, and bad work the same way. You can say
a big book
or
a small pen.
You can also use these adjectives after the verb to be (is/are):
The car is red
or
The book is big.
Common Mistakes
  1. 1✗ Wrong article choice: People often use 'a' when 'an' is needed, or vice-versa.
* ✗ I have a apple.
* ✓ I have an apple. (Starts with a vowel *sound*)
  1. 1✗ Incorrect adjective placement: Placing the adjective after the noun it describes.
* ✗ I see a car blue.
* ✓ I see a blue car.
  1. 1✗ Confusing 'he' and 'she': Using the wrong pronoun for a specific gender.
* ✗ My sister is happy. He is my sister.
* ✓ My sister is happy. She is my sister.
Real Conversations
A: What is this?
B: It is a book.
A: Oh, is it a big book or a small book?
B: It is a big book! And it is red.
A: Who is that?
B: That is my friend, Maria.
A: Oh, Maria. She is a good student.
B: Yes, she is! And that is Peter. He is a good teacher.
A: Do you have a pen?
B: Yes, I have two pens. They are blue.
Quick FAQ
Q: Why do we say 'an apple' but 'a banana'?
A: You use 'an' before words that start with a vowel *sound* (like apple, elephant, orange). You use 'a' before words that start with a consonant *sound* (like banana, book, table). It's all about the sound, not just the letter!
Q: Can I use 'they' for just one person?
A: Yes! While 'they' usually means multiple people, it's also commonly used for one person when you don't know their gender or want to keep it general, like
Someone left their book. They forgot it.
Q: Do adjectives always go before the noun?
A: Mostly yes, when describing directly, like
red car
or
good teacher.
However, you can also use them *after* a form of to be (is/are), such as
The car is red
or
The teacher is good.
Cultural Context
Native English speakers value clear, direct communication, especially when describing. These simple patterns are used constantly in everyday conversation. Don't worry about overly complex sentences; a simple
red car
or
good friend
is perfectly natural and understood.
The placement of adjectives before nouns is a consistent and fundamental pattern you'll hear all the time.

Exemplos-chave (8)

1

I have a new `book` for class.

Eu tenho um livro novo para a aula.

Substantivos de Sala de Aula e Sobrevivência: Suas Primeiras Palavras
2

The `teacher` is speaking English.

O professor está falando inglês.

Substantivos de Sala de Aula e Sobrevivência: Suas Primeiras Palavras
3

I have a new phone.

Eu tenho um celular novo.

A & An — Seus primeiros artigos
4

She needs an umbrella today.

Ela precisa de um guarda-chuva hoje.

A & An — Seus primeiros artigos
5

I have two `brothers`.

Tengo dos hermanos.

Um Gato, Dois Gatos — Plurais Simples com -s
6

She bought three new `books`.

Ella compró tres libros nuevos.

Um Gato, Dois Gatos — Plurais Simples com -s
7

This is a `big` city.

Esta es una ciudad grande.

Primeiros Adjetivos: Grande, Pequeno, Bom, Ruim
8

I have a `small` dog.

Tengo un perro pequeño.

Primeiros Adjetivos: Grande, Pequeno, Bom, Ruim

Dicas e truques (4)

💡

Coloque Etiquetas no seu Mundo

Cole post-its em objetos da sua casa, como na porta ou na mesa. Ver a palavra todo dia ajuda a gravar:
This is a door.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Substantivos de Sala de Aula e Sobrevivência: Suas Primeiras Palavras
💡

Fique de olho no gênero

Quando alguém fala de outra pessoa, preste atenção aos nomes ou títulos como Mr. ou Ms. Isso ajuda você a escolher entre:
He is my friend David.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Ele, Ela, Eles/Elas — Falando sobre os outros
💡

Escute o som primeiro!

Sempre decida entre a e an baseando-se no primeiro som da palavra seguinte. Som de vogal usa an, som de consoante usa a. Seus ouvidos mandam aqui! Por exemplo: an apple.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: A & An — Seus primeiros artigos
💡

The 'Zero' Rule

Always use the plural with 'zero'. It sounds strange, but we say 'Zero cats', not 'Zero cat'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Um Gato, Dois Gatos — Plurais Simples com -s

Vocabulário-chave (6)

book libro pen bolígrafo red rojo big grande they ellos/ellas cat gato

Real-World Preview

school

Describing a Classroom

Review Summary

  • Name of object
  • He/She/They + is/are
  • A/An + noun
  • Noun + s
  • It is + color
  • It is + adjective

Erros comuns

Do not use 'a' with plural nouns.

Wrong: I have a apples.
Correto: I have apples.

Colors describing objects do not need 'a'.

Wrong: He is a red.
Correto: It is red.

Use 'an' before words starting with a vowel sound.

Wrong: A orange book.
Correto: An orange book.

Next Steps

You are doing amazing! Keep practicing and don't be afraid to make mistakes. See you in the next chapter!

Label items in your house with sticky notes

Continue to: Localizando tudo ao seu redor: Onde as coisas estão

Prática rápida (10)

Qual frase está correta?

Escolha a frase correta:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: She is a doctor.
'Doctor' começa com som de consoante, então usamos 'a'. Profissões sempre pedem artigo.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: A & An — Seus primeiros artigos

Encontre e corrija o erro

Find and fix the mistake:

It's an unique opportunity.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: It's a unique opportunity.
'Unique' começa com som de 'yoo', que é som de consoante, então o certo é 'a'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: A & An — Seus primeiros artigos

Fill in the blank with 'is' or 'are'.

The apples ___ good.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: are
Use 'are' for plural nouns like 'apples'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Primeiros Adjetivos: Grande, Pequeno, Bom, Ruim

Qual frase usa o substantivo corretamente?

Escolha a frase correta:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I need help.
Help (ajuda) é usado sem o 'a' neste contexto em inglês.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Substantivos de Sala de Aula e Sobrevivência: Suas Primeiras Palavras

Fix the mistake.

Find and fix the mistake:

They are smalls cats.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: They are small cats.
Adjectives do not take an 's' in plural form.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Primeiros Adjetivos: Grande, Pequeno, Bom, Ruim

Choose the correct sentence.

Which one is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I have a big car.
Adjectives go before the noun.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Primeiros Adjetivos: Grande, Pequeno, Bom, Ruim

Encontre e corrija o erro na frase

Find and fix the mistake:

She has a shirt green.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: She has a green shirt.
O adjetivo 'green' deve obrigatoriamente vir antes do objeto 'shirt'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Usando Cores (Vermelho, Azul, Verde)

Escolha o substantivo correto para completar a frase.

I have a ___ for writing.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: pen
Você usa uma pen (caneta) para escrever. Um book é para ler e water é para beber.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Substantivos de Sala de Aula e Sobrevivência: Suas Primeiras Palavras

Qual frase está correta?

Escolha a frase certa:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: My friends are here. They are waiting.
'They' é usado para o plural, como 'my friends'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Ele, Ela, Eles/Elas — Falando sobre os outros

Escolha a forma correta para completar a frase

I see a ___ car.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: red
Em inglês, o adjetivo de cor (red) sempre vem antes do objeto (car).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Usando Cores (Vermelho, Azul, Verde)

Score: /10

Perguntas comuns (6)

Um substantivo é uma palavra usada para dar nome a algo: pessoa, lugar, objeto ou ideia. Pense nele como uma etiqueta:
That is a cat.
Muitos são curtos, como porta ou copo. Conforme você avança, verá nomes compostos, mas comece com o básico:
This is a door.
É uma palavra que substitui um nome para evitar repetição. Pense como um atalho! Em vez de 'Sarah is happy', você diz: She is happy.
Para a fala fluir melhor. Ajuda a saber de quem você está falando sem parecer um robô, tipo:
My friend works here. He loves his job.
Ambos significam 'um' ou 'uma'. A diferença é apenas o som: a vem antes de sons de consoante e an antes de sons de vogal. Por exemplo: a car ou an apple.
Use a quando a palavra seguinte começar com som de consoante, como em a book, a cat ou a university (porque o U soa como 'yoo').
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