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Which are correct: "Os livros são os nossos" or " Os livros são o nossos" or " "Os livros são nossos"
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You've mixed plurals and singular "it is" would suggest 1 thing, however "bookS" is plural. So you would either say "It is our book" - 1 singular book, or "They are our books" - plural, lots of books. However i think Duolingo wanted a more direct translation so it would be "The books are ours" (for one book it would be "the book is ours"). I hope that makes sense.
How come in the question is says "nossos" instead of "nossas" I thought words that end in 'ão' usually are feminine? Someone help , please!
In this phrase, "nossos" is corresponding to "livrOs".
Os livrOs são nossOs (the books are ours)
Os cavalOs são nossOs
As maçÃs são nossAs
As batatAs são nossAs
O livrO é nossO (the book is ours - repare that "nossos" loses a "s")
O cavalO é nossO
A maçà é nossA
A batatA é nossA
"São" is only the verb "to be" in 1st person of plural, this don't changes to male or female...
Great comment! :)
One quibble...
"São" is only the verb "to be" in 1st person of plural, this don't changes to male or female...
"São" is for 3rd person plural ("They = Eles/Elas Vocês" and plural for "it" aka "they" such as, "As casas"). It works here for books which are the subject in this exercise..
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• "I = Eu" is 1st person singular
• "We = Nós" is 1st person plural.
• You = Tu" is 2nd Person singular
• S/he It = Eles/Elas are 3rd Person singular
• You = Você = 3rd person singular (not an English thing)
So, conjugating 3rd person plural for "it" (the books) while indicating a 1st person plural (even for possessive) is indeed a bit confusing. Though this is how we learn. .
Special note: Vocês verbs are conjugated as 3rd person plural in Portuguese but the plural "You" in English is 2nd person.
In fact the singulars follow the same pattern in both languages as well. "Tu" however is like English in being conjugated as 2nd person.
It's a good question Caitlin. In Portuguese all over the world the article is used with both possessive pronouns and adjectives – except for singular family members... go figure. Even in Brazil the article is often used (especially it seems with the contractions). However, in Brazil it is very common to just drop it. Brazilians like to drop words, shorten them, even combine them (as with "cadê" from "o que é de").
https://blogs.transparent.com/portuguese/cade/
Personally, I would just always opt to use the article (even if I were not wanting European PT). It helps us to remember – and enforce that memory of – the gender of things.
However, it is important to know that this happens in the Brazilian version of Portuguese. It is also important to know that Duo accepts the article in most answers (if applicable), and if it does not then report. :)
