Feminine and masculine words in Brazilian Portuguese

We know that differentiate feminine and masculine words in Brazilian Portuguese can be a difficult task. Thinking about that, we’ve prepared this article with lots of tips to help you. Vamos lá?

O > A

Words ending in -O often change it to -A in the feminine form:

menino – menina

pequeno – pequena

alto – alta

brasileiro – brasileira

caminhoneiro – caminhoneira

colombiano – colombiana

OR > ORA

Words ending in -OR often change it to -ORA in the feminine form:

cantor – cantora

autor – autora

professor – professora

doutor – doutora

ÃO > Ã

Words ending in -ÃO can change it to -Ã in the feminine form:

anão – anã

alemão – alemã

capitão – capitã

ÃO > OA

Words ending in -ÃO can change it to -OA in the feminine form:

leão – leoa

leitão – leitoa

ÃO > ONA

Words ending in -ÃO can change it to -ONA in the feminine form:

valentão – valentona

mandão – mandona

brincalhão – brincalhona

ÊS > ESA

Words ending in -ÊS often change it to -ESA in the feminine form:

francês – francesa

burguês – burguesa

freguês – freguesa

Irregular forms:

• Ateu – ateia
• ator – atriz
• avô – avó
• europeu – europeia
• herói – heroína
• judeu – judia
• rei – rainha
• réu – ré
• conde – condessa
• sacerdote – sacerdotisa

For a detailed explanation, check the full class on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-ojHJEkRzI