Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe family members with possessives and matching adjectives.
Lesson Explanation
Possessives agree with the thing owned: meu irmão, minha irmã, meus amigos, minhas amigas. The owner’s gender does not decide the form.
Adjectives also agree: um irmão alto, uma irmã alta, amigos altos, amigas altas.
In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, an article commonly appears before a possessive: a minha mãe, o meu pai.
Practice Questions
1. Write “my brother.”
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meu irmão.2. Write “my sister.”
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minha irmã.3. Write “my male friends.”
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meus amigos.4. Write “my female friends.”
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minhas amigas.5. What does a possessive agree with?
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The thing owned.
6. Write “a tall brother.”
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um irmão alto.7. Write “a tall sister.”
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uma irmã alta.8. Make amiga alta plural.
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amigas altas.9. What can commonly appear before a possessive in Brazil?
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A definite article.
10. Write “my mother” with the article.
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a minha mãe.11. Write “my father” with the article.
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o meu pai.12. Does the owner’s gender decide meu/minha?
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No; the owned noun does.