Summary p240

240 CONYERSATIONAL PORTUGUESE

14. THE PLURAL

1. Nouns ending in a vowel, including nasal vowels, or in a diphthong, usually add s to form the plural:

um ato¹ amaęd alei

one act the apple the law

dois atos¹ as maęds as leis

two acts the apples the laws

2.    Feminine words ending in do usually end in des in the plural:

a ambięao ambition as ambiędes ambitions

3.    Masculine words ending in do usually end in des in the plural:

o cartdo    card    os cartoes    cards

However, some end in aos or des:

o cidaddo the Citizen os cidadaos the citizens o alemdo the German os alemdes the

Germans

4.    Words ending in r or z add es:

o mar    the sea    os mares    the seas

a luz    the    light    as luzes    the lights

5.    Words ending in ał, el, and ol, drop the l and add

is:

o animal    the animal    os animais    the animals

o papel    the paper    os papeis    the papers

6.    Words ending in stressed U change / to .9 for the plural:

cml    cms    civil

Words ending in unstressed il change /V to eis in the plural:

fdcil    faceis    easy

7.    Words ending in s and stressed on the last syl-lable add es in the plural:

pais    country    paises    countries

Words ending in s and not stressed on the last syllable have the same form in the plural:

o lapis the pencil os lapis the pencils

15. THE POSSESSIYE

1.    English ~s or -s’ is translated by de “of”:

o neto de Dona Maria Dona Maria’s grandson

2.    Possessive adjectives and pronouns agree in number and gender with the object possessed; the adjective usually comes before the word it modifies:

meu łivro    my    book

meus liwos    my    books

minha sobrinha    my    niece

minhas sobrinhas    my    nieces

Notę: see Conversation Manuał Lessons 14 and 15, section 32, parts 3-4.

3.    In conversation seu tends to refer to the person spoken to and thus translates “your.” However,

1

acto, actos ®.