Boa tarde, leitores! Good afternoon, readers!

Today is dia das eleições (election day) in Brazil, so millions of Brazilians are heading to polls with hope for the next four years in our country. Although many are fearing that the future might be tenebroso. But we will be talking more about that in future posts, once we get definite results. As for now, we are going to take a deeper into some Portuguese adjectives. After all, in times like these we need them constantly in order to try to describe the situations we are living in.

Adjectives that end in -oso or -osa in Portuguese are very common. Chances are, therefore that whenever you come across a word ending in -oso or -osa, they are most likely an adjective. It is pronounced like oh-zoh or oh-zah. They would be equivalent to “ous” in English, as in famous, delicious, fabulous, enormous, generous, ridiculous, etctera (although their translation into Portuguese will not always end in -oso or -osa, but in some cases it is). We have got hundreds of words ending like this in our language, so it is a good idea to start getting to know them to help you practice. Keep in mind that -oso is for masculine words and -osa is for feminine words.

Ficaram curiosos? Got curious? So let’s take a look at some examples:

• O espaguete desse restaurante é muito gostoso | This restaurant’s spaghetti is very delicious
• A secretária foi muito corajosa de ter enfrentado o patrão | The secretary was very brave to have faced the boss
• Meu filho é tão vaidoso que ele gosta de tomar três banhos por dia | My son is so vain he likes to take three baths a day
• O presidente dos EUA é um homem poderoso | The US president is a powerful man
• Por que você está tão nervoso? É só um pneu furado! | Why are you so nervous? It’s just a flat tire!
• O Rio de Janeiro é conhecido como a cidade maravilhosa | Rio de Janeiro is known as the marvelous city
• Não vai dar pra sair com esse tempo chuvoso | We won’t be able to out in this rainy weather
• Estou ansiosa pra viajar nas férias! | I look forward to traveling on my vacation!
• Esse molho que você está cozinhando é muito cheiroso | This sauce you’re cooking smells really good
• Nunca assisto filmes de terror, sou muito medroso | I never watch horror movies, I’m very scared of them
• Tome cuidado, essa estrada é muito perigosa | Be careful, this road is very dangerous
• O objetivo dele é frequentar a academia até ficar musculoso | His goal is to attend the gym until he get beefy
• O médico é conhecido por ser muito atencioso com seus pacientes | The doctor is known for being very attentive to his patients

Remember that in Portuguese,  if the adjective if referring to a noun in the plural form, the letter -s should be added at the end of the word:

• Grace Kelly sempre usava pedras preciosas | Grace Kelly would always wear precious stones
• Aquelas moças ali não são atrizes famosas? | Aren’t those girls over there famous actresses?
• Meu colegas estão sempre fazendo comentários maldosos | My colleagues are always making mean comments
• Crianças são agitadas, mas sabem ser muito carinhosas | Children are agitated but they know how to be very affectionate
• Jogadores de futebol profissional sempre se hospedam em hotéis luxuosos | Professional football players always stay in luxurious hotels
• As irmãs de Cinderela eram muito invejosas | Cinderella’s sisters were very envious of her
• Adoramos visitar Ouro Preto e andar pelas suas ruas charmosas | We love visiting Ouro Preto and walking along its charming streets
• Os italianos costumam ser muito religiosos | Italians are often very religious
• Ele foi acusado de ter cometido ações criminosas em seu governo | He was accused of committing criminal acts in his government

E aí, acharam muito trabalhoso? Tenham um fim de semana maravilhoso!