Study Resource: Definite articles with country names in Brazilian Portuguese
By: Ana Amélia Rodrigues dos Santos
In Brazilian Portuguese, most countries are used with a definite article, o, a(the), but a few are not.
Countries that have definite articles
As the lists below show, most of the feminine words end with -a , with some exceptions, and words ending in a consonant, -o or other vowels, including -á, are masculine.
Masculine Countries | |
|---|---|
Portuguese | English |
O Afeganistão | Afghanistan |
O Irã | Iran |
O Brasil | Brazil |
O Chile | Chile |
O Japão | Japan |
O Peru | Peru |
Os Estados Unidos | United States |
O México | Mexico |
O Canadá | Canada |
O Panamá | Panama |
O Congo | Congo |
O Egito | Egypt |
O Iraque | Iraq |
O Uruguai | Uruguay |
O Equador | Ecuador |
O Sudão | Sudan |
Feminine Countries | |
|---|---|
Portuguese | English |
A Argentina | Argentina |
A Colômbia | Colombia |
A Inglaterra | England |
A China | China |
A França | France |
A Itália | Italy |
A Alemanha | Germany |
A Espanha | Spain |
A Rússia | Russia |
A Noruega | Norway |
A Suécia | Sweden |
A Romênia | Romania |
A Venezuela | Venezuela |
A Polônia | Poland |
A Dinamarca | Denmark |
A Áustria | Austria |
A Guiné-Bissau | Guinea-Bissau |
A Suíça | Switzerland |
A Hungria | Hungary |
As Filipinas | Philippines |
A Irlanda | Ireland |
Countries that do not have a definite article
Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
Marrocos | Morocco |
Portugal | Portugal |
Cuba | Cuba |
Angola | Angola |
Bahamas | Bahamas |
Cingapura | Singapore |
Madagascar | Madagascar |
Honduras | Honduras |
Timor | Timor |
Cabo Verde | Cape Verde |
