Adding definite articles to some Portuguese sentences

Portuguese Questions Grammar
1

Do we need to add definite articles to any of the following sentences?

If not, why?

Estes homens são meus irmãos

Esta é minha filha.

Estas gravatas são tuas.

2

My understanding (which may be flawed, I’m very much a beginner), is that you can add a definite article to them, but that changes the meaning slightly and makes it more specific.

So for instance

  • Estes homens são meus irmãos - these men are my brothers, or these men are brothers of me. I could could have other brothers than estes homens, the sentence doesn’t say either way.

  • Estes homes são os meus irmãos - these man are my brothers. Maybe the previous sentences were you asking me tens irmãoes?, and I responded tenho tres irmãos. Then they all walked into the room together, and I explained estes homens são os meus irmãos.

  • Este é minha filha - this is my daughter. I could have other daughters than her, the sentence doesn’t say either way.

  • Este é a minha filha - this is my daughter. I don’t have other daughters. Maybe I told you a minute ago that tenho uma filha.

  • Estas gravatas são tuas - these ties belong to you.

  • Estas gravatas são as tuas - these ties are your ties, with the implication that they are probably all the ties you own.

3

In general, what @Tomas said :slight_smile: But keep in mind that there’s a difference between using demonstratives (este, esta…) as pronouns (replacing the noun) and as determiners (preceding the noun). When they’re determiners, the definite articles can be added or omitted as per Tomas’s general guidance. When they’re pronouns, we add the definite articles by default in European Portuguese for the sentence to sound natural for us, and there’s no added implication by that.

  • Estes homens são meus irmãos → este is a determiner here; no issue

  • Estas gravatas são tuas → same as above

  • Esta é minha filha → esta is a pronoun, so the current sentence is not idiomatic; we’d say Esta é a minha filha

Also, by adding the definite article, the implication is not always that those are the only elements that exist (i.e. that those are all your brothers, or all your ties). It can also be, for example, a matter of singling out the elements that ‘belong’ to you from a larger group of elements.

1 Like
4

Thank you very much for clarifying @Joseph.

I came across this one today in the learning notes for demonstratives, as part of the explanation of the difference between pronouns and determiners.

  • quero este bolo. Este é meu.

Would it sound more natural to say “quero este bolo. Este é o meu”?

5

You’re welcome! And thanks for mentioning that example, because it gives me the chance to clarify that what I explained applies specifically to that kind of sentence where the concerned noun is mentioned. In your latest example, the noun is implied, so the article can be added or omitted at will; both sound natural.

Sentences with demonstrative pronouns & possessive determiner + noun → Require a definite article to sound natural:

  • Esta é a minha filha
  • Este é o meu carro
  • Este é o teu livro
    …

Sentences with demonstrative pronouns & possessive pronoun only (noun is implied) → Don’t require a definite article to sound natural:

  • Este é meu (or Este é o meu, if suitable)
  • Este é teu (or Este é o teu, if suitable)
    …
1 Like