50+ Common Portuguese Adjectives and How to Use Them

Employing adjectives in Portuguese, as in any language, allows you to speak and write more descriptively. Furthermore, knowing the most common Portuguese adjectives will significantly boost your understanding.

Several fundamental distinctions exist between Portuguese and English adjectives, such as gender usage and their position in a sentence. This guide will teach you over 50 frequently used Portuguese adjectives and their proper application.

Common Portuguese Adjectives

Here are some of the most common Portuguese adjectives to get you started:

Try creating your own sentences with these words and the rules you'll learn here! You can also expand your adjective vocabulary using pre-made digital flashcards.

Portuguese Adjective Placement

In English, the adjective comes before the noun. However, in Portuguese, the adjective typically follows the noun. So instead of saying "the fat cat is sleeping," you would say, o gato gordo está dormindo (Lit.: "the cat fat is sleeping").

Here are a couple more examples:

a pessoa engraçada — the funny person um vestido lindo — a beautiful dress

There are, however, instances where the adjective is placed before the noun, often when the adjective describes an intrinsic quality. The placement of the adjective can actually alter its meaning:

Ele é um homem grande. (He’s a big man. — describes his body size) Ele é um grande homem. (He’s a great man. — refers to his intrinsic qualities as a person)

This video explains the proper position of Portuguese adjectives in more depth:

Matching Adjective Gender

The Portuguese language matches the gender of the adjective to the gender of the noun.

If the noun is masculine (usually ending in the letter o), then the adjective will likely end in an -o. If the noun is feminine (usually ending in the letter a), then the adjective will likely end in an -a.

Ele é alto. (He’s tall.) Ela é alta. (She’s tall.) O carro é amarelo. (The car is yellow.) A casa é amarela. (The house is yellow.)

Some nouns don’t end in either -o or -a, so you’ll need to memorize their gender. You can do this by learning the article along with the noun. For instance, learn o refrigerador (the refrigerator) and the article o (the) will indicate that the word is masculine.

So what do you do when an adjective ends in an -e, -l or -r? Well, you just use it as it is—no changes are needed!

A prova foi fácil. (The test was easy.) O cachorro marrom (The brown dog)

Pluralizing Portuguese Adjectives

Plural endings are straightforward: You simply add an -s to the end of the adjective.

As calças baratas (The cheap pants) Comprei brinquedos divertidos. (I bought fun toys.)

However, some adjectives behave irregularly when pluralized. These are usually adjectives that don't end in just -o or -a. Here are a few examples:

azul (blue) → azuis fácil (easy) → fáceis mau (bad) → maus (masculine), más (feminine)

Using Diminutive and Augmentative Adjectives

People often add a diminutive or augmentative ending to an adjective. The diminutive implies something is cute or just a little bit of something.

For example, É rosinha means "It’s a bit pink." The augmentative indicates something is a more extreme version of the adjective.

Basically, to form a diminutive, you replace the -o or -a at the end of the adjective with -inho or -inha. To create an augmentative, you add -íssimo or -íssima at the end instead. For example:

Bonito (pretty) in the diminutive is bonitinho, which translates literally as "little pretty" but carries the meaning of "super cute."

Agradável (pleasant/enjoyable) in the augmentative is agradabilíssimo, meaning "very enjoyable."

Adding Modifiers Before Adjectives

Another method to express the augmentative is by using the word "very," which in Portuguese is either muito or bem. Place these words before the adjective:

A noite é bem fria. (The night is very cold.) O céu é muito bonito. (The sky is very pretty.)

You can also use modifiers like mais (more/most) and menos (less/least). For example:

o mais bonito de todos (the prettiest of all) o menos perigoso (the least dangerous)

How to Learn Portuguese Adjectives

One of the most effective ways to memorize these adjective rules is not only through practice but also through consistent exposure. With that in mind, here are some of the best methods to learn Portuguese adjectives:

• Record yourself. Speaking aloud helps you get comfortable using the words. Use recording software during practice so you can listen back and check for pronunciation and other issues. If you learn best by listening, record yourself explaining the rules along with some examples.
• Write it down. If you're a visual or tactile learner, writing adjectives in sentences (practicing gender, placement, and irregularities) can help you remember the rules better when speaking. So grab a notebook and pen and write down some examples!
• Use flashcards. You can use traditional paper flashcards or a flashcard app to help remember Portuguese adjective rules. Try writing an English sentence on one side and the Portuguese translation on the other. Then test yourself to see if you can translate the English into Portuguese while applying the adjective rules.
• Download an app. Numerous apps are available to help you learn Portuguese, and many include adjective rules and vocabulary. Some will even have you create simple sentences and quiz your understanding. Be sure to search for the best option for you, as apps vary in quality.
• Put up sticky notes. If you learn best by associating words with images, try using sticky notes to write down nouns and adjectives for each rule. For example, if you have two blue couches, put "as sofás azuis" (the blue couches) on a sticky note and attach it to a couch. Then, when you see the note, you'll remember how to form irregular plural adjectives.
• Watch videos. Watching real-world videos of people and hearing how they use the language gives you a much better understanding of it—including these tricky Portuguese adjective rules. For example, you can see native speakers using adjectives naturally through Portuguese media clips on Lingflix. Lingflix takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try Lingflix for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website. You can also find lots of helpful resources and videos on YouTube, like this one:

Now all you need to do is put these rules into practice!