In Portuguese, nouns that end in ‘a’ are usually feminine. Words like mesa (table) or perna (leg) follow a stable and predictable pattern. However, there are exceptions—some words ending in ‘a’ are actually masculine.
Common Masculine Endings: -grama, -ema, -oma
A useful way to identify these exceptions is to look beyond the final letter and focus on the suffix. Many masculine nouns ending in a share one of these endings: -grama, -ema, or -oma.
Examples with -grama
Words ending in -grama are generally masculine:
- o quilograma
- o telegrama
- o diagrama
Examples with -ema
The same applies to words ending in -ema:
- o sistema
- o problema
- o cinema
Examples with -oma
And finally, words ending in -oma also tend to be masculine:
- o aroma
- o diploma
- o sintoma
Key Takeaway
Words ending in -grama, -ema, and -oma are usually masculine, even though they end with a. This small rule can help you avoid common mistakes when speaking or writing in Portuguese.
Até já, p
